Promises
by TheEpicTales
Summary: Sally is distraught by Sonic dumping her and demands that Knuckles fulfill a promise made a decade ago.
1. Chapter 1: You've Changed

**Promises:**

**Chapter 1: "You've Changed"**

"I don't know how else to say this, Sal; you've changed."

"Yeah, well thinking your boyfriend is dead for a year can do that." Sally glared at Sonic. They were standing in her quarters of the hidden compound. Everything was pristine and organized, which was a habit she had picked up as a princess. "Do you have any idea how many times I cried myself to sleep? How many times I asked myself 'why couldn't it of been me?'!"

Sonic averted his green gaze from her accusing eyes. "I told you it had to seem real."

"I'm your girlfriend, or at least, I was! That means I'm your partner, you could've at least told me. What you did nearly destroyed us. It didn't just hurt me, Tails completely lost hope and blamed himself for your supposed death."

Sonic didn't reply, he just stared at his red shoes. Sally continued, "If I hadn't for Knuckles' support, I don't know what we would've done."

Sonic looked up sharply at the mention of Knuckles' name. "He probably was glad to be rid of me so he could take the spotlight," he muttered.

Sally slapped him and he staggered. "He's our friend, how dare you accuse him of wanting your death?!"

Sonic rubbed his cheek. "Oh yeah? Tell me, did he try any moves on you?" he shot back. Sally swung again, but he managed to dodge it and grabbed her wrist.

"No. You're lucky he's such a loyal friend because I probably would've thrown myself into his arms if he had."

Sonic released her and shook his head. "See, this is what I'm talking about. Old Sal wouldn't threaten to cheat."

"Hello?! I thought you were dead, and you've changed yourself. You're a bigger dick than ever."

"I'm sorry, Sal… but it's over."

"Fine! I don't want to talk to you ever again."

"Aw c'mon, it doesn't have to be that way…"

"Just go."

"But -"

"Go!" Sally pointed towards the door for added emphasis. Sonic shut his mouth and reluctantly slunk out. Sally's stern face broke as a tear formed and rolled down her face. She flung herself on her bed facedown to mute the breaking of her heart.

Sonic wandered out into the main commons of the compound. The wide room was mostly deserted, only Tails and Amy talked quietly near the fox's workbench. They broke off when Sonic entered. Amy seemed uncomfortable while Tails deliberately looked away. Sonic knew what they had been talking about: his mysterious disappearance and, more recently, his mysterious reappearance. He also knew that they would need time to heal.

He continued to walk aimlessly, but as he passed he said, "You wander where I went and why, and I'll tell you everything in good time." Neither replied and Sonic left the room.


	2. Chapter 2: Playmates

**Promises:**

**Chapter 2: Playmates**

Later that night, Sally still lay in bed, her tears long since dried up. However her eyes were still red, puffy, and swollen as a testament to her anguish. She sat up and looked at a picture on her bedside table. It was a group photo of the core members of the Freedom Fighters. Sonic had his arms around Sally and Tails, Amy was on the other side of Tails, and Knuckles stood to Sally's left looking as if he wished he was anywhere else. Antoine and Bunny as well as Mina also stood behind them. It had been a long time since Sally had seen them since they left the force. Back then, things were difficult, but everyone was happier.

Sally set the picture down on its face. Things were different now. She stood up and walked over to her vanity dresser. In the mirror frame, several smaller photographs were inserted. One, older than the rest, was tattered and its edges had begun to yellow. On it was the image of two young kids smiling and had arms on the other. One was a tall and somewhat lanky yet fit scarlet echidna with wide violet eyes. The other was shorter and more regal, with brown fur and joyful irises of the same hue. Although it was taken a decade ago, Sally remembered how these two youths first met.

Sally, a much younger six-year-old version, wandered along one of the many paths that meandered through Angel Island's scenic wilderness. She had begged Father to allow her to accompany him and her older brother, Elias, on a trip to the echidnas' ancestral home. She had tried to focus on what exactly was being discussed, but her childish mind grew bored and began to drift. Locke had sent her to explore when she got restless.

Over time, she became aware of a presence watching her. Nervous, she looked around but didn't see anyone. A nearby rustle made her jump. Whatever it was grew still. Summoning up her courage she approached to have a look, Locke wouldn't send out if there was anything dangerous after all. Carefully, she parted the bush was shocked to find a pair of purple eyes staring at her.

The other, apparently as surprised as her let out a little yelp as Sally stumbled backwards, falling on another bush on the opposite side of the trail. The stranger rose up out of the shrub and smiled slightly. Why, it was just a kid like herself. Suddenly feeling quite silly, she picked herself up and brushed the twigs off of her dress.

"W-w-who are you?" she asked rather shakily.

"I could be asking you the same thing. You're the trespasser after all," the echidna retorted.

"I'm not trespassing!" she denied haughtily, indignation overcoming her anxiety. "I'm a guest of Guardian Locke and a member of the Royal Family."

"That so?" he asked, hostility long gone. "Well excuse me, Princess; I was merely perfecting my sneaking skill."

"Well it certainly needs work," Sally huffed. As an afterthought, she asked, "What's your name?"

"Knuckles. And the next Guardian of the Master Emerald," he answered, puffing his chest out proudly.

"The next Guardian? Tha would make you…"

"Yep, Locke's my dad."

"I didn't know he had a son."

"Yeah, well, he usually keeps me pretty busy doing something or other."

"How old are you?"

"Six. Why?"

"Really? You look at least eight."

Knuckles blushed slightly and scuffed the ground with his shoe. "I'm big for my age," he explained. "What about you?"

"I'm six as well."

Knuckles smiled uncertainly, apparently not used to addressing someone his age.

"Want to play?" Sally asked.

"Play?" A confused expression clouded his face.

"Yeah; you know, 'tag you're it'?"

Knuckles still looked confused.

"You play like this," she began. She jabbed a hand at him and touched his arm gently. He looked at the spot she had touched. "Now you chase me and try to tag me back, got it?" He shook his head and she sighed. This was going to be difficult. "How do you not know how to play?" she asked, perhaps a bit more harshly than she had intended.

Knuckles shrugged. "Guess I don't have much time to play…" he mumbled as he stared at his feet.

Sally instantly felt guilty. "I'm sorry. Here let me teach you. Go run and I'll chase you." He stood rooted in place for a moment as if unsure. "Well go on," she gestured with a wave. Slowly, he began to jog off down the path, looking back at her occasionally.

She quietly counted to five then took off after her new playmate. Seeing her chase him, he instinctively increased his pace. She soon caught up with him though and gave a gently shove on the back. He stumbled for a few steps then stopped. He turned back to see her quickly running the opposite way. He smiled a bit and chased her back. She didn't get far before he caught her. Playing was fun! However, his shove was perhaps a bit rougher than he had intended.

She launched forward and disappeared over a fern. He ran up to the edge and peered over the large plant, hoping to find her unhurt. She popped up suddenly, startling him and poked his chest. That and his own backward motion ended up with him falling on his rump. Sally giggled lightly. Knuckles couldn't help but a chuckle a bit as well.

Sally walked around the plant and began to run down the path. "Come get me!" she called over her shoulder.

Knuckles scrambled to his feet and tore off after her.

Dusk was setting when Knuckles and Sally sat in grassy clearing later that day, exhausted from a full day's worth of frolicking. When they had gotten bored with tag, Sally taught him how to play Hide-and-Seek. Unsurprisingly, Knuckles turned out to be the best, finding incredible hiding spots and finding Sally regardless of where she hid. "That was fun," she breathed.

"Fun," Knuckles repeated. Another strange word to him, but he was liking this new concept.

"Yeah. Don't you play with other kids?"

Knuckles shook his head. "Nope. I'm the only one."

Sally looked perplexed. "You mean that you and your dad are the only people on this entire island?"

"Yep."

"Doesn't it get lonely?" she wondered aloud.

"Sometimes, but I'm usually too busy to notice."

Sally looked at her newfound friend. He looked wistful, as if he was an outsider looking in. She reached out and took his hand. "Well I'm your friend now."

"Friend?" Knuckles tried out this word. It gave him a warm feeling, something nice that he didn't usually feel.

Before long, a rich voice could be heard over the treetops followed shortly by a deeper bark that distinctly said, "Knuckles!"

"Father!"

"Dad!"

Both blushed slightly at having talked at the same time. The two heaved themselves up and began a gentle trot toward the origin of the voice.

By the time they arrived a helicopter was waiting for the Royal Family. The King, looking stately in his business clothes, waited nearby along with the bearded Locke to his right and 12 year old Elias to the left. "I see you made friend, Sally," the King observed.

"Yes, Father."

Locke looked evenly at his son. "Giving the Princess a tour of the island were you?"

"Yes, sir."

Locke gave an approving nod and turned to the King. "This is my son, Knuckles, and future Guardian," he explained.

"Well how about that?" the King mused, "A playmate for my daughter. Perhaps it was a good thing I brought you after all, my daughter." The King smiled warmly and extended a hand to the young echidna. He took it and shook it firmly. "Nice strong grip," the King noted, "You'll make a fine young man one day."

"May we leave? My feet are growing tired," Elias complained.

"Of course," the King answered. He turned to Locke and tipped his head courteously, "Until next time then, Guardian."

Locke returned the nod with a stiff bow. "I look forward to it. Perhaps our friendship may bring our nations closer together."

"Perhaps," the King replied. With that, the Royal family boarded the chopper as it began to power up. Sally waved out the window as the ascended. Knuckles returned the gesture likewise.

Father and son were soon left standing in an empty field. "Dad?" Knuckles ventured.

"Yes?"

"They'll be back right?"

"Maybe."


	3. Chapter 3: You Promise?

**Chapter 3: "You Promise?"**

The days following Sally's departure were among the longest to the young Knuckles. Everyday once he had finished his schooling and training for the day, he would go to the edge of the island and scan the skyline that she had disappeared, hoping against hope that maybe, just maybe, he would glimpse her coming back. He stared at the horizon each evening until night fell and hunger and the cold drove him home.

As the weeks dragged by, his optimism began to die. Perhaps she wouldn't be coming back after all… Finally, well over a month since she left with her family, Knuckles made one last trip even though he thought it pointless. He gazed over the clouds, a vault of indigo wrapping across the heavens with a smattering of stars winking into existence, and through the darkening clouds, patches of the black sea beneath. He stood with the chill wind whipping his dreadlocks about his face and ruffling his coarse fur. A whole world was out there, beyond his vision, a world vast and unknowable… yet he would never see it. He would always be in a self-imposed exile on this island. This thought deeply saddened him. He never felt more alone in the world, knowing that there were others, like him, but completely different at the same time.

Finally the pale crescent moon rose over the clouds and gave them a silvery outline. The stars winked at him. Possibly the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, but its beauty was lost upon him. She didn't come… She never will… His head hung low, he turned away and shuffled his way towards the single-room cabin that he and his father shared near the shrine.

The next morning, he was given the day off by his father. Within his memory, he had never been given a "day off." Unsure of how to take advantage of this rare and unexpected opportunity, Knuckles went off to check on the snares and traps, making sure they were set and working properly. He was resetting a tangled snare when a low buzzing sound began to drone in the background, pausing, he listened closely. Bees? No, too steady. It grew in volume as the seconds ticked by. Standing up, he looked around, fear beginning to bubble in his tummy. If it was bees, they were getting closer and sounded angry. This theory was quickly disproved once it got much too loud for any living thing to realistically make.

Suddenly the sound of air being ripped up was deafening. Knuckles looked up and watched with shocked eyes a huge black machine passing directly overhead through the trees. A helicopter… As it banked, Knuckles saw the Royal Crest painted on the flank. It couldn't be…

Abandoning his chore, he tore off towards the center of the island.

Knuckles arrived in time to see the chopper touch ground. His father was already there looking as impassive as ever. Noticing his son, the older echidna beckoned him over. Knuckles jogged over and took his place near his father.

The blades whirred as they slowed down. Once they finally halted, the main hatch opened and out stepped the Royal Family. King Max and a tall, beautiful female led Prince Elias and Princess Sally out of the luxurious craft. "That's Queen Alicia," Locke murmured to his son, nodding slightly towards the elegantly dressed woman.

The King dismissed the pilot, a gold and purple male panda, and beckoned forward two guards, a smart looking fox and a battle-scarred gorilla. Locke bowed respectfully to the King and Queen. "You really don't have to do that, Locke," Max chided.

"Formalities are formalities," he dryly reminded the King, "But what about the guards? You are quite safe on the island."

The King shook his head slowly, "Consider it another formality. Believe me, Locke, I am well aware that you mean me or my family no harm, but the war hasn't been going well."

"What war?" asked Knuckles.

Queen Alicia gave a warning, yet dignified look at her husband, "Never you worry your mind, young one. What is your name?"

"Um… K-K-Knuckles the Echidna… Err, your Majesty," he answered nervously.

"No need to be frightened, child," Alicia soothed, bending slightly to stroke his headfur. "Are you the same Knuckles my daughter has been talking so much about?"

Knuckles nodded. Pleasure warmed his body; Sally had been talking about him!

"Well aren't you handsome and polite; I can see why my Sally took a liking to you," she continued to praise him. Knuckles smiled, suddenly very much liking the Queen. "Why don't you two go run along then," she suggested, indicating that she had given Sally permission to greet her friend. Moving out of the way, the Queen watched as her daughter scampered up to Locke's son, apparently forgetting her etiquette lessons again.

"Hi, Knuckles! You miss me?" Sally asked, throwing a hug around his solid frame.

"Every day," he answered before realizing to what he had just admitted, causing him to blush. Fortunately, his crimson fur blended in with his blush, somewhat hiding it. He awkwardly returned the gesture.

Sally broke apart the hug, but remained close. "Good. Where are we going today?"

Knuckles hesitated and glanced from his father to the King and Queen. His father looked at the Queen who gave her consent in the form of a small nod. Turning back to the chipmunk princess, he said, "I was thinking of showing you the waterfall. It's not far from the shrine."

"Ooh! Let's go then," Sally responded excitedly.

The gorilla started to move over towards the two, but was intercepted by the King. "It's alright, Ricardo, I'm Knuckles won't let her come to harm… Right, Knuckles?" Knuckles nodded vigorously. "See? You'll be staying with the chopper." The gorilla grunted acknowledgement and nodded respectfully before moving back to the craft.

"Wanna come, brother?" Sally asked Elias.

The prince sniffed somewhat disdainfully, "My definition of fun is not tromping around some god-forsaken jungle," he retorted.

"All-right suit yourself then. C'mon, Knuckles." Sally took his hand and led him away. Once they were out of view of the others, she slowed to let Knuckles take the lead. He moved confidently through the dense undergrowth, choosing to take the shortest path rather than the scenic path to the shrine and then to the waterfall.

Before long, Sally could hear the dull roar of a waterfall from somewhere ahead. Only minutes after that, she could steal a few glimpses through the boughs of the foliage, just before emerging from the rain forest. The sight of the cascading water forming a large, bubbling pool literally stole her breath.

"Princess? Do you like it?" Knuckles snapped her out of her stupor.

"It's so beautiful…" she breathed. The shining sun reflected off the mist surrounding the falls creating a shimmering rainbow screen. The entire scene put Sally in a peaceful state and almost seemed impossibly surreal.

"I like to come here sometimes to relax after a stressful day," Knuckles explained, shuffling his feet in the dirt.

"I can see why," Sally agreed. Tearing away from the view, she looked at her friend and gave him another hug. "Thank you for bringing me here," she murmured.

"It's no big deal," he mumbled shyly, but blushed with pleasure again. "Would you like to swim?" he asked once Sally let him go.

Sally shook her head. "I can't get my clothes wet, or Mother would be upset. And I didn't bring swimwear," she explained.

"Don't really need a swimsuit," he countered, "I don't when I swim."

"You mean… swim naked?" she asked rather stunned and shocked, "Together?"

"Why not? It's just me and you; no one else knows where this is," he argued. Then he paused as a thought passed through his mind, once what exactly he was proposing registered, he blushed a deep crimson and his eyes shot open. "Err, I mean… If…"

Sally thought for a while then nodded. "I suppose it's fine… After all, we're just friends. And what Mother doesn't know can't hurt her."

Knuckles stood rigidly wondering what exactly he had just done. Fortunately, at that time, Knuckles was sexually ignorant (his father neglecting to ever bring it up, deeming it unnecessary considering only they lived on the island) yet being nude with a female was still awkward. Sally turned away from the echidna and pointed to her ribbons on the back. "Can you untie these please?"

With trembling hands, Knuckles took the silk and deftly untied them. "Now close your eyes and turn around," Sally commanded. Knuckles did as she asked and shortly heard her slip into the pool. "Alright, you can open them." When he summoned up the courage to do so, he saw Sally's head bobbing over the water. "Join me! The water's actually nice!"

Suddenly, it didn't seem so awkward. Taking a running start, he leapt into the pool. Sally averted her face but still sputtered water when the splash hit her. The waterfall sent massaging bubbles throughout the entire pool. The water itself was pure and clear, his view of her body was obscured only by the foam, not that he was paying much attention to that.

"Oh ho! You want to play like that do you?" Sally challenged, splashing river water into his face. Knuckles tried to avoid the assault, but got a blast right in the face. Shaking the water off his face, he returned the attack. Sally dove back and dodged most of it, but retaliated yet again. Giggling, they went back and forth

This went on for several minutes until they grew weary of the game and found another to play. This was the most fun Knuckles had had since their last meeting and, secretly, for Sally as well.

Once they had worn themselves out swimming, the two climbed out and lay on the grass in the clearing. Neither felt the least bit uneasy, although Knuckles was careful to avoid staring. "I just thought of something," Sally said suddenly.

"And what's that?" he asked.

"Where does all this water come from? It can't rain too much here since you're above most of the clouds. All this foliage and a full waterfall, yet it all spills over the sides and disappears."

Knuckles answered carefully. "My dad says it has something to do with the Emerald, that it maintains a steady environment capable of sustain life, or something like that. It's also what makes the island defy gravity."

"I was wondering about that too."

A peaceful silence fell between them. It was maintained for several minutes, before Sally spoke again.

"Knuckles," she began.

"Yes?"

"Will we always be friends?"

Knuckles turned his head to find Sally already staring at him. "Yeah, of course," he agreed.

"Good." Sally hesitated for awhile before continuing nervously, "You know, I don't have many friends…"

Knuckles sat up slightly and looked at the princess with a confused expression. "You? Aren't there other kids on the mainland?"

"Well, yes, but I don't see them very often," Sally admitted.

"Why?"

"Mother says I should only play with kids that are socially acceptable for me to associate with," she explained.

"Socially acceptable?"

"Basically, the rich kids or nobles."

"Do you?"

"Most of them are stuck-up showoffs."

"What about your brother, don't you play with him?"

"Sometimes, but he doesn't really count. I mean, he's my brother."

"Oh. Well, we'll always be friends."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

Author's Note: No kiddie porn in this chapter, ya perverts. It's just kids skinny dipping, no sexual themes, but nudity may be enough to verify my rating for this story. Anyways, if there's any confusion, this entire chapter is a flashback. Oh, and werewolflover99, I gave your characters cameos in this chapter, but didn't linger over them. Hope you like it.


	4. Chapter 4: Where Are You Going?

**Chapter 4: "Where Are You Going?"**

Sally awoke from her dream. She knew what she had to do now. Slipping out of bed, she pulled on her shoes, gloves, and jean-cutoff jacket. She opened her door quietly and stalked silently down the hall, taking small steps. If Sonic could disappear without a word to anyone, so could she. She stopped outside Tails' door, took a steadying breath and opened it as softly as she could. She glanced at the fox's curled sleeping form then entered and tiptoed over to his desk.

A ring of keys lay on top of a stack of blueprints. She lifted them straight off and tensed at the jangle they made. Tails flinched, mumbled something inaudibly, and rolled over. Letting out her breath, she turned on her heel and left the kid alone. She continued down the hall, passing many doors and turn offs, heading straight for the hanger. The reinforced walls would reduce the sound of her taking off to a muffled buzz.

She almost made it. Only feet from the building, a small voice called out behind her: "Where are you going?"

Sally spun around to find the youngest person living at the compound standing behind her, holding her Chao doll by one small arm. "Nowhere, Creamie," she lied, "Now what are you doing up?"

The little rabbit rubbed one sleepy eye. "I'm thirsty," she said.

Sally glanced back at the hanger, then the keys in her hand, and finally to the girl. The Tornado wasn't going anywhere. Sighing, she took the rabbit's small hand in her own. "C'mon, Cream, let's go get you a drink."

Once Sally got Cream a glass of water and sent her back to bed after checking that the rabbit didn't anything else, Sally retraced her steps a little more quickly before another interruption kept her from leaving. She unlocked the building, climbed into the plane that Tails had personally rebuilt and modified from scratch, and put the key in the ignition. Although she hadn't flown much, Tails had made it appoint to teach everyone a few basic piloting skills in case he ever needed a copilot.

She started up the craft, checked the dials, and put it into forward motion. The noise of the spinning blades seemed unbelievably loud and suddenly Sally wasn't sure about the integrity of the reinforced compound walls' ability to muffle the noise. Fearing Tails, or worse, Sonic, would be alerted and come to intercept her, she gunned the engine and attempted to take off a bit earlier than was considered safe. The plane wobbled a bit as it tried to stay aloft, but it stabilized and Sally was flying off into the night.

Once she was well out of earshot of the compound, Sally relaxed a bit and rechecked the dials. Once she ascertained her bearings, she made corrective measures and altered her course. A little while later, she realized in her haste that she had forgotten to buckle. That could've been very bad if the plane had crashed when she took off. She snapped the restraints and adjusted the straps to accommodate her somewhat bustier chest (compared to Tails'). After that, she relaxed even more and tried to concentrate on the flight itself.

Her destination was clear. Angel Island. Although she hadn't been there in awhile, she had a rough idea of where it should be, and really, how many floating islands are there floating in the middle of the sky? She'd know it when she saw it.

She flew all through the night and watched the sun rise from the East. She was amazed at exactly how far Angel Island seemed to be. Glancing at the fuel gauge, she wondered if she would need to stop for fuel, but she had no idea where she might find somewhere to land and refuel. Fortunately, she still had over half left.

She was soon flying over blue open sea, and was under half fueled. But it was too late to stop or turn back. By now, Tails had woken up to find his keys missing and wake Sonic when he found the plane missing too. It wouldn't take a genius (meaning even Sonic) to figure out that Sally's and the plane's disappearances weren't a coincidence. Furthermore, Cream had seen Sally sneaking over to the hanger. A pit opened in her stomach when she got a case on conscious about lying to the little girl, but she pushed the thought away. Sonic needed to be taught a lesson and she knew how to get back at him.

Knuckles opened his eyes as a butterfly landed on the tip of his nose. He twitched it, hoping to shoo off the insect, but it didn't move. Screwing up his face as the butterfly's pollen covered wings tickled his nasal cavities, he sneezed and the startled creature fluttered off. "Eh, about time," he muttered, wiping his nose. Despite his tone, he was actually in a good mood. And why shouldn't he? The day was brilliant, he had slept rather well, and the most beautiful woman in the world to him was sleeping next him.

He stared at Julie-Su and a rare smile crept across his face. She was so beautiful in her sleep, he thought. He gently stroked her cheek and pushed a stray hair away from her eyes. He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

She stirred and opened her eyes to see her boyfriend leaning over her. "Morning, love," he said.

Smiling at his rather goofy use of endearment, she smiled back and replied, "Morning to yourself. Should I be worried about you staring at me in my sleep?"

He shook his head, dreadlocks whipping slightly. "Nah, I'm just being your watchful Guardian."

"And I need your protecting?" she asked teasingly.

"Er, well, um…" he stuttered, losing his cool a bit while trying to tread lightly.

Julie laughed a bit and put a gentle finger on his lips, "I was just kidding, ya goof. I love that you feel protective of me. I mean, what girl wouldn't?"

Knuckles smiled again and lowered Julie's hand with his own. "Ok. I'll go find us some breakfast." He stood up and jogged down the shrine's steps.

"Be back soon," she called after him, "I'm hungry!" Knuckles gave a thumbs up to show his acknowledgement as he continued.

Sally was shocked at how quickly the island appeared in the sky. It started as an unidentifiable speck in the horizon that quickly swelled in to a hulking landmass hovering in the sky. She was thankful that she had finally reached it as she was currently running of mere fumes and she feared that at any moment the plane would just drop out of the sky. However, a nagging doubt began to eat at her. What if Knuckles wasn't happy to see her? What if running off into the night wasn't such a good idea? Worst of all, what if Sonic didn't care?

Sally tried to push such doubts down, yet they continued to buzz in the back of her mind. She pulled up and surveyed the island's terrain, looking for a decent place to land. Her mind went back to when she was a young girl and the pilot consistently landed in a large clearing near the shrine of the Master Emerald. Of course, in the duration of 10 years, the clearing could've become swallowed by the vegetation that otherwise dominated the island. She had to land nevertheless, so she made a beeline for it.

Knuckles was up a tree and had pulled off two pineapples when a familiar buzz rose in the background. "The hell?" he asked aloud. Climbing further up, he poked his head out of the foliage and scanned the sky. "Where is it coming from?" he asked himself. He turned his head the other direction and instinctively ducked when he saw the Tornado flying just above the tree line. "What the?!"

He climbed down a bit and then leapt to the jungle floor. _'What was Tails doing here?'_ He wondered, _'especially without prior announcement?' _There must be an emergency. Knuckles sprinted through the rain forest, deftly dodging trees and ferns. By the time he arrived, the craft had already landed and Julie was standing nearby looking utterly baffled. Knuckles still held the pineapples as he stepped up next to Julie.

"Any idea what's going on?" Julie asked Knuckles. He simply shook his head. What was going on was beyond him, all he could do was to wait for the pilot to open the cockpit. When the dome of opaque glass opened and a figure exited, Knuckles' jaw dropped open in utter disbelief.

"Sally? What are you doing here?" he asked with shock clearly evident in his voice.

"I came to see you, Knucklehead," she answered as she climbed down the plane.

"Did you fly here all by yourself?"

"Yep."

"Really? It's amazing that Tails let you fly his precious plane by yourself," Knuckles observed.

"Eh-he, yes, it is," she agreed with a nervous chuckle. She hopped the rest of the way down and turned to get greet her friend. "So here I am, ya happy to see me?" she asked.

"Of course," Knuckles replied, "I'm always happy to see you, princess."

"I told you to stop calling me that," Sally scolded in a jesting manner. She decided to go ahead and give him a warm hug. Knuckles returned the embrace. "It's been too long," she whispered into his ear.

"Yeah, it has," he agreed.

"What am I? Chopped liver?" Julie broke in, with an unsure smile playing across her face. Knuckles and Sally broke apart and looked over at the other echidna.

"I'm sorry, Julie," Sally apologized, "It's good to see you too." She put her arms around the cybernetic echidna who also returned the hug.

"So what brings you to our neck of the woods?" Knuckles asked after an appropriate pause.

"Sonic's being a dick, so I decided to take a little vay-cay," Sally explained. "I hope that's alright."

"Of course, you're always welcome here, right Knuckles?" Julie instantly replied.

"Right," he confirmed.

"We were just about to eat breakfast, care to join us?" Julie continued.

"Sure, I am rather hungry after my flight."

"Great. Let's go."

"Two girls and one guy… Anything could happen," Knuckles mused aloud.

"No. It couldn't," the girls retorted together. Knuckles chuckled slightly as the girls giggled.


	5. Chapter 5: Sally's Gone!

**Chapter 5: "Sally's Gone!"**

Tails burst into Sonic's room with great panic. "Sonic! Wake up!" he shouted.

The hedgehog shot up in his bed, spines bristling. "What's going on?" he demanded, with a grumpy voice. He'd been having a wonderful dream, running over mountains and across lakes, never slowing or pausing to take in his dreamscape, just reveling in the freedom of the wind rushing through his quills and his feet churning in endless motion.

"Sally's gone!" Tails wheezed as he fought to catch his breath.

"What?!" Sonic jumped out of bed, all grumpiness instantly gone.

"I woke up and found… My keys… were gone," he explained. "I… went to tell Sally… but her room was empty… I can't find her anywhere!"

Sonic ran a hand through his spikes. It wasn't like Sally to disappear without a word to anyone like that. What in the world would drive her to such drastic actions? Then it hit him. She was getting back at him for disappearing over a year ago. "Dammit," he muttered.

"What should we do?" Tails asked, having settled somewhat.

"Nothing," Sonic replied simply and lied back down in his bed.

"What?" Tails asked full of disbelief.

"Nothing," Sonic repeated, "She's a grown woman and can make her own decisions."

"Shouldn't we go after her?"

"No. She needs time to get over my reappearance. It shook her pretty bad when I first returned, remember?"

"But-"

"Look, Tails, she left to try and hurt me. Wherever she is, she's safe. Besides, I have a rough idea of where she might be."

"Which is?"

"None of your concern. If we try to follow her, it's just gonna make her madder and do even more dangerous things. Believe me, she'll be back in a couple of days. She just needs to cool off."

Tails looked ready to argue more, but Sonic silenced him with a warning look. He stepped back slowly, gave Sonic a disappointed glare, and then left the room.

Sonic sighed and tried to fall back asleep.

* * *

Knuckles set a bowl of fruit salad before Sally and one in front of Julie. The two were seated at a finely made wood table in Knuckles's cabin. The entire structure was full of quaint hand-carved furniture. The chairs, the table, the fireplace, all of it were lovingly crafted by the Guardians in generations past. It had an antique feel to it and was actually quite comfortable.

Knuckles seated himself between the two, picked up his fork, and started to eat. Sally and Julie also speared some fruit chunks and began to eat. The fruit was sweet, tangy, and obviously ripe. In fact, it was probably the best mango Sally had ever tasted. Knuckles may not have much skill with actually cooking anything, but he could make a mean fruit salad. Pineapple, mango, banana, kiwi, and grapes were all mixed into an exquisite entrée.

Julie plucked a grape out with her fingers and proffered it to her boyfriend. Knuckles obediently opened his mouth slightly and Julie popped the morsel in. He chewed it and grinned at Julie. She smiled back, leaned over, and gave him a peck on the lips. Sally dropped her gaze to her bowl and tried to focus on it as if it were the most interesting thing in the world; her appetite no longer present. She felt a bitter jealously rise up in her stomach, and instantly felt guilty. She shouldn't blame Julie for having a satisfying relationship, when she didn't.

It took a moment before she realized that Julie was talking to her. "Sorry. What were you saying?" Sally asked.

"I said, 'I'm glad you could visit us, Sally,'" Julie repeated.

"Oh, it's my pleasure, really," she replied. "Things have been pretty slow around the base," she continued.

"Really?" asked Knuckles. "I would've expected Sonic's return to have rocked more than a few boats. Er, no pun intended."

"Oh, believe me it did," she assured the crimson echidna. "In fact, that's actually part of why I came."

"Is it? And here I thought it was because you missed us," Knuckled joked, laughing at his own wit. Julie giggled a little bit too.

"No, I did miss you guys! It's been to stressful at camp, so I thought a little R&R with my friends would help take my mind off other matters."

"Well as we've already said, you're always welcome," Julie reaffirmed.

"Well, I'm not sure all of what we could do," Knuckles mused aloud, and effectively shifting the subject, "There's really not much to do here."

Sally grew a rather suggestive smile. "Am I to take it you two have been, let's say, romping around when you get bored?"

Julie and Knuckles both blushed deeply (although it almost blended in with their respective peach and red fur). "No, er, I mean- Not-" Knuckles stuttered, while Julie was at a complete loss for words.

Sally laughed and waved a dismissive hand. "I'm kidding! Just messing with you. Boy you two are easy!"

Julie relaxed a little, although Knuckles still looked uncomfortable about his potential sex life being mentioned. "We mostly lie around and watch clouds," Julie replied, carefully. "Although someone tends to fall asleep," she added, elbowing Knuckles gently.

"Well excuse me for nodding off on soft grass in the warm sun," he responded indignantly. "Sonic does it all the time, and gets away with it."

Sally tensed a little at the mention of Sonic's name. Fortunately, Julie picked up on the motion and tried to steer away from that particular subject. "Sally, you're our guest so I think you should decide what we should do," the pink echidna suggested.

"I don't mean to impose," Sally said, "If you have anything that needs to be done…"

"Nah, Guardian duty can be dreadfully boring most days," Knuckles assured the chipmunk. "As long as I'm on the island, if an emergency were to arise, I can handle it; although I seriously doubt that."

"Well in that case, whatever you normally do is fine with me," Sally finished.

"Nope. We aren't going to squander your visit with child games, I have a little something I've been saving for such an occasion," Knuckles affirmed. He strode over the pantry, reached in, and produced a bottle of wine.

"How did you hide that from me?" Julie demanded.

"I hid it with the pots and pans," Knuckles answered as he returned to the table, "Lord knows you don't cook."

"Cheeky whelp," Julie huffed good-naturedly. Knuckles selected three crystal cups and placed them on the table. He took his corkscrew and removed the foil, screwed the cork, and pulled it out with an audible "pop!"

"Is it wise to drink so early?" Sally asked.

"Why not? It's five o'clock somewhere," Knuckles answered dismissively. "You visiting us by yourself is worth celebrating. For once, a calamity doesn't have to bring us together," he noted wryly.

Sally shrugged in acceptance. It was good enough reason for her. A little liquid courage might do her some good, besides Julie and Knuckles would be drinking with her. So she supposed that getting drunk first thing in the morning didn't constitute her being a drunkard.

Knuckles served the drink into the clear glasses and set the bottle aside. Julie and Sally picked up their chalices, and gave the blood-red liquid a small swirl. Knuckles picked up his and sniffed it expertly, Sally almost laughed at how noble-like he looked sampling his wine like an upper-classman. The three clinked glasses and sipped their drinks. The wine had a robust flavor typical of its kind.

After everyone downed their first glass, Knuckles courteously refilled each of their glasses and repeated the gesture. Knuckles and Julie finished before Sally, but patiently waited for the chipmunk to finish hers. Sally set the glass down and cleared her throat. "Wow. That's actually pretty good, what is it?"

"A bottle of a batch my grandfather, Sabre, made while he was Guardian," Knuckles told her, "There are quite a few barrels under the surface. I guess he found a hobby to do instead of being bored."

"Did your father know about it?"

"I'd imagine so since Sabre was his father and mentor. Even if he hadn't told my dad, I'm sure he found it while he was Guardian. I swear that man knew everything about the island."

"Do you miss him?" Sally asked tentatively. She knew his father's whereabouts was a mystery to everyone and a touchy subject for the echidna. It was presumed that Locke was dead, and his ex-wife had remarried a wealthy businessman (also an echidna), but honestly, no one ever found his body.

"Sometimes. But it's been so long, if he wasn't dead, he would've returned already. I've had time to come to terms with it." Knuckles ignored social protocol and refilled his glass and downed it in one long gulp.

"Hey, now's not a time for sad thoughts," Julie interrupted, "We're supposed to be having fun."

"You're right, Jules," Sally agreed. "Any ideas on what else to do, other than getting drunk off our asses?"

"I have a pack of playing cards around here somewhere," offered Knuckles, only half-looking for them.

"Great, we can play Go Fish or Old Maid," Julie suggested.

"I was hoping for a more adult game," Sally protested.

"Poker?" Knuckles checked, suddenly looking kind of eager.

"Yeah, something like that."

"Here they are," Julie announced from the living room, pulling them out of table drawer.

"Great, let's play," Knuckles chuckled as he rubbed his palms together.

"What are we going to play for?" Sally questioned.

The trio thought for a while then Knuckles ventured hopefully, "Perhaps articles of clothing?"

Julie and Sally stared at the echidna then looked at each other and laughed hysterically. "Whoo-hoo! In your dreams, Knuxie!" Julie howled with mirth.

Sally put her head on the table and pounded it as she shook uncontrollably with laughter. They both laughed until tears rolled down their faces and their sides ached. Knuckles shrugged and tried to look nonchalant (rather unsuccessfully). "It was only a suggestion," he mumbled embarrassedly.

"I think Knux has got some rings lying around somewhere," Julie stated as she began a search for the said rings.

Sally still giggled a bit at Knuckles' absurd suggestion, and then a thought crossed her mind. A particularly dirty thought. If Knuckles was interested in both Sally and Julie, then maybe, just maybe, there was hope for Sally's plan after all. It would just take careful handling and manipulation. Something Sally had a definite talent for.

* * *

Author's Note: Wow! I actually did it faster than I anticipated; it took me only slightly over an hour. So Sonic is onto Sally's game, but the poor guy has no idea what she plans to do while she's gone. Tails is even more disappointed in his hero. I don't know where Cream and Amy are yet… Maybe they're still sleeping? Julie is unsuspecting of Sally's motives, but for how long? And what about Knuckles?! He seems a bit perverted in this chapter. I'm thinking he is actually kind of serious about a three-way but we can't be sure. He could be very well just being a horny teenage boy. Anyways, it is here that I official draw the line and say that this fanfic has crossed over into the T Zone. You can probably expect lemonyness to consistently appear in later chapters. Enjoy.


	6. Chapter 6: Pair of Kings

**Chapter 6: Pair of Kings:**

After a few minutes of looking, Julie found the sack of rings in a desk drawer. Making a quick count, she declared that they had 74 to split three ways. The pink echidna made three piles of 24. The extra two were put back in the bag and set aside. Knuckles took the cards out and began to shuffle the worn deck with a practiced ease. Sally watched him mix and cut the deck over and over again. She guessed that he had plenty of practice considering he had little to do while he lived in total isolation for nearly a decade.

Once Knuckles reckoned he had shuffled them adequately, he set them face down in the center of the table while Julie pushed the meager piles of gold rings towards the players. "I think since we have only so much to play with," Julie ventured, "That we don't place a minimum and set a maximum of… say, 10 rings?" Sally and Knuckles nodded their agreement.

"I guess I'll deal first," Knuckles said. "What are we playing? Five card draw or Texas hold-em?"

Julie looked at Sally. "Either is fine by me. Which do you want to play, Sal?"

"Well, I don't know how to play, er, what was it?"

"Texas Hold-em?"

"Yeah, that. But I could try."

"Alrighty then, Texas it is!" Knuckles declared. He cut the deck a second time, passed two cards to each of them including himself facedown and hidden, then set back to take a peek at his hand. Sally and Julie followed suit then set the cards back down. "I'll start the bet at two rings," he announced as he placed the said rings in front of him.

Sally glanced at her cards again. An ace of spades and seven of diamonds. Not sure what that was worth, she decided to go ahead and meet (or check) the bet. She pushed her two rings forward. Julie agreed with that bet and added her two rings. Knuckles reached over and flipped the top three cards over. A five of clubs, an ace of hearts, and a king of spades.

Sally thought for a moment. There was ace there and an ace in her hand. An one pair wasn't too bad. Knuckles grinned a bit and pushed another ring forward. "I raise the pot by one."

Julie checked her hand a second time then sighed and pushed her hand away. "I fold," she announced. Knuckles turned to Sally.

"What about you?"

"Hmm. I'll go ahead and check it," she decided.

"Alright, betting is closed. Let's see them."

Sally flipped her hand over showing her one pair. Knuckles snickered a bit and revealed his three of a kind. He had two fives, one of diamonds and another of hearts. "Looks like I win this one." He scooped the rings up and added them to his pool.

Sally sighed, somewhat disappointed about losing this round, but knowing her luck would likely change. Knuckles reshuffled the deck and dealt a fresh hand. Sally downed her glass of wine and refilled it. Time to start winning.

* * *  
Sometime later, after several hands, Julie ended up losing all her rings and was forced to watch Sally and Knuckles go back and forth while sipping what was left of the wine. Knuckles had nearly all the rings, which was surprising considering he sucked at poker. Perhaps he'd been practicing with Vector and them? Regardless, Sally was beginning to get desperate.

Knuckles dealt the new hand. Sally peeked at her hand. Good; it was two kings. One was a diamond and the other was a club. She glanced at Knuckles who appeared somewhat unhappy with his lot. Good, this was definitely good.

Knuckles put two rings in the pot and Sally followed suit. Knuckles flipped the top three cards, but Sally made a note to watch his reaction. His face lit up in the slightest of shades. Oh no. Sally looked at the cards. It was an ace of hearts, a king of spades, and a queen of clubs. This could be bad. Sally checked her hand. Well, she had three of a kind, but if he did have a straight, it would beat her.

She only had five rings counting the two she had already placed to bet with. _'Fuck it,'_ she thought. "I raise by three," she announced, with an 'I don't care' look.

Knuckles looked at her with surprise. "You sure?" he asked.

"Yeah, well are you going to meet?"

Knuckles grinned kind of evilly. "I'll do more than that. I'll raise it by the whole pool," he countered.

"What! I can't meet that!" Sally argued.

"That is pretty unsportsmanlike," Julie agreed.

"Well, she can offer something else," Knuckles suggested.

"Like what?" asked Julie.

"Whatever she wants, as long as I deem it worthy," Knuckles replied.

Sally pondered for a moment. She didn't bring anything of value except Tails' plane, but she seriously doubted the fox would appreciate her betting it for the equivalent of 72 rings. Suddenly a thought crossed her mind. She beckoned the echidna closer, much to Julie's confusion. Knuckles listened intently as Sally whispered an offer into his ear. Julie secretly hoped that it wasn't what she thought Sally might be suggesting. Although she knew Knuckles wouldn't willingly be unfaithful, it still bugged her that someone might be trying to seduce him right in front of her as she wasn't there.

Of course, Julie should be more used to the idea of promiscuity considering her heritage in the Dark Legion, where it wasn't uncommon for several hundred echidnas to be related closely or distantly due to their peculiar family arrangements. Regardless, it still rubbed Julie the wrong way.

Knuckles grinned eagerly and shook his head. Julie had to bite her tongue from lashing out for something that might not even really exist. Knuckles and Sally eyed each other than flipped over their hands. Sally had her three of a kind, but as it turned out Knuckles did have a straight. He had a two of clubs and three of diamonds. '_Damn. He wasn't bluffing,'_ Sally internally grumbled. But this played well into her plan.

"Alright, you win," Sally conceded, "Time to claim your prize." She stood, and Julie leapt up.

"Don't you-!" she started, but was cut off when Sally placed her mouth over Julie's. Julie was utterly shocked, but let Sally in. Knuckles sat there staring with a watering mouth. This was unbelievably hot to the red echidna. He never would've imagined this, but here it was happening right in front of him.

Sally worked it, and ran her hands through Julie's locks while Julie's hands dangled helplessly by her sides. The tang of the citrus fruit was still lingering, and Sally could pick up on it. After a good minute or so, Sally pulled away and turned to Knuckles. "Satisfied?"

Knuckles shifted his legs, hoping to conceal something and shook his head agreeably. Sally sat and took the bottle and drank the last few sips left at the bottom. Julie however, just stood there dumbly, not quite finished processing this odd turn of events.

"Ah-hem, well, I have to go get some firewood before it gets dark," Knuckles excused himself. Julie blinked out of her stupor and glanced out the window. The sky was beginning to turn golden as the sun set in the far horizon.

"I'll go with you," Sally offered as she stood up yet again and crossed the room over to the echidna.

"Ok, I'll stay here," Julie told them. She sat back down, not quite trusting the integrity of her knees.

Knuckles and Sally left the cabin.

* * *

Cream was crying and Amy and Vanilla did their best to comfort the little bunny. "Hush, Creamie, darling," Vanilla soothed as she stroked her daughter's headfur.

"Miss Sally said she wasn't going anywhere," she whimpered, "but now she's gone. Why would she do that?"

"I don't know, darling."

"Hey, c'mon Cream, help me make dinner," Amy suggested, hoping to distract her. "We can't let the boys starve. We wouldn't want that right?"

"N-no," Cream stammered. She wiped her tears away and tried to smile. "Ok. Let's help Miss Amy cook, Mommy."

Vanilla gave the pink hedgehog a grateful look and let her daughter lead her to the kitchen. Amy started to follow, but was grabbed by Tails. "Amy, wait," he said.

"What?"

"We need to find Sally," he explained.

"Tails, you know what Sonic said," Amy began.

"I don't care!" he shot back. "We need her. She is our leader, not him. The longer she's gone, the more vulnerable we are and she is. It's only a matter of time before Eggman catches wind of this and takes his chance."

Amy sighed. "And how exactly do propose we find her? She took the Tornado and could be anywhere by now," she pointed out.

"Maybe, but I found this in her room on the dresser," he said as he flashed a faded photograph.

"You were snooping in her room?" Amy asked appalled.

"That's beside the point," he retorted short-temperedly. "Who are those two on the picture, I ask you?"

Amy took the picture and squinted at the image. "Looks like… Sally… and Knuckles?"

"Yeah. And it must've been taken quite awhile ago, if the condition is any clue."

"But Sally never told us that they were friends that long ago."

"Well, that's not true," Tails admitted.

"What! You mean she talked about this before?"

"Yeah, you were kinda absent for that, with Eggman kidnapping you and all."

"And nobody bothered to tell me?"

"It didn't seem important at the time."

"That was years ago! You would think that it might come up in the conversation at some point!"

"Well it didn't. Besides you're missing the point again! Sally must've went to Angel Island."

"So? Knuckles and Julie are there last I heard; they'll keep her safe."

"That's basically what Sonic said."

"So what's the problem?"

"The problem is that we're leaderless and Sonic doesn't care because he's too busy fighting with her."

Amy was about to argue more when Cream called from the kitchen, "Are you coming, Miss Amy?"

"Yes, Creamie!" Amy called over her shoulder; turning back to Tails she shook her head. "If Sally needed to get away that badly, then perhaps it's for the best that she's gone."

"But-"

"It's for the best," Amy repeated a little more firmly. With that, she turned on her heel and proceeded to the kitchen. Tails stood there awhile longer scowling after the hedgehog. He looked once more at the photograph and hoped that Sally didn't do something she'd regret.

* * *

Author's Note: For this chapter I had to do a little research on how to play Texas Hold-em. Thank you, Wikipedia! Anyways, I skipped a couple rules and probably botched the game completely from a gambler's point of view, but oh well. Hm, story-wise Sally has decided on the sneaky way of trying to get at Knuckles it would appear, playing on his fantasies. Originally she had intended on coming clean about her motives, but that just wouldn't do. Oh, Julie is getting jealous, but still giving Sally a fair chance. She doesn't want to come across as a total controlling and jealousy-bitten bitch of a girlfriend. Tails has been completely disillusioned of his former mentor, Sonic. He seems to have a rough idea of what Sally means to do, but is powerless to stop it. Now for credit to Julie's upbringing in the Dark Legion where promiscuity is commonplace, belongs to Soul Ender. Yes, I did skim over your story Chaos, Order, and Balance last night. I promise I will read it thoroughly once I get the chance. It looks great and well-crafted. Werewolf lover99, I'm not sure yet if your characters will make a second appearance, but if there is another flashback, then they should. Until then, read on.


	7. Chapter 7: As Night Falls

**Chapter 7: As Night Falls:**

Knuckles wandered in the darkening jungle, selecting adequately sized sticks and logs when he could find them, while Sally followed a bit more slowly. "So I take it, you enjoyed that little kiss?" Sally asked.

Knuckles hesitated before answering, as he studied another stick as if it was particularly interesting. When he did answer, it was almost inaudible. "Well, erm… Yes, I did," he mumbled. He was thankful that he was facing away so Sally couldn't see his blush.

"I thought so, if your initial reaction was any clue," Sally remarked smugly.

"Well, normally I don't ask for such things, but alcohol can make me do and say some pretty weird things."

"I didn't think it was weird. In fact, I kinda enjoyed it myself," Sally admitted.

Knuckles flushed a deeper crimson as other dirty ideas came to mind. He struggled to repress them, but they still lingered. It wasn't right of him to fantasize about his friend like that. He was in a relationship already, and so was Sally. Speaking of which… "Do you think Sonic would mind about that thing you did back there?" he wondered.

Sally stopped short and snorted. "Honestly, I couldn't care less what Sonic minds me doing or not. As far as I'm concerned, we're through."

"Oh yeah, you talked about that when you first got here," Knuckles recalled. "What exactly did he do to piss you off so much?"

"Remember when we thought he was dead?"

"Of course; how forgetful do you think I am?"

"Well, since he came back, he's completely refused to apologize to anyone. He won't even tell us where he's been!"

"Well, I hate to be the devil's advocate, but maybe he has a good reason for doing so. I can't imagine what that could be, but we should still give him the benefit of the doubt."

"Maybe… But he's just acting like nothing is wrong and it never happened. What he doesn't seem to realize is that it can never go back to the way it was."

"Why not?"

"Because… Because… Look, it just can't alright?"

"Ok, whatever you say. But I think we should be glad that he's safe and sound. I may have stepped in for him while he was gone, but even I know I never could've replaced him. Not that I even wanted to."

"Actually he accused you of doing just that."

"What? Replacing him?"

"Yeah. That it was your dream to take the spotlight after his death, which wasn't even real."

Knuckles snorted dismissively. "We all know how much of an attention hog Sonic is, so it doesn't surprise me that he would point the finger at me. I'd kick his ass any day of the week if he wanted a fight."

"I know you would, but all the same, it was rude and uncalled for."

"Maybe, but I really don't care. Besides, what I really want to know is what you plan to do now, relationship-wise I mean."

"Oh, well, I haven't thought much about that," she lied.

"That so? The absolutely perfect princess doesn't have a plan?" Knuckles mocked jokingly.

Sally slugged his shoulder and retorted with, "You know more than anyone else that I'm not perfect. And I'm not a control freak either."

Knuckles rubbed the spot she hit gently, but still wore his grin. "Ah, I was just kidding."

He shuffled the wood in his arms and looked it over. "I think we got enough, let's head back." He led the way back towards the cabin. Sally followed empty-handed and a hollow opened in her stomach. She might miss her chance if she waited too long, best to introduce the idea now rather than later.

"Knuckles?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember when we were kids?"

"Like it was yesterday."

"I've been thinking about that a lot recently."

"Have you now? Is all this drama making you go for a trip down 'Memory Lane'?"

"Something like that."

"Well, what about it?"

"It makes me realize who my real friends are."

"And I take it I'm one of them?"

"Pretty much the only one, more like it."

"What?" Knuckles stopped and glanced at Sally. The chipmunk had her head down and scuffed the leaves up with her boots. "What about Amy, or Tails, or Bunnie?"

"Tails is too young, Amy and I used to be intense rivals, and I haven't heard from Bunnie in years."

"So I'm really you're only true friend? And I thought I was lonely."

"Shut up! I'm serious. When Sonic 'died', you came to our rescue. No one asked you to, you just did. Even when Sonic and I were having problems or arguing, you were always there to listen and be my shoulder to cry on. How many people do you think I let see me cry?"

Knuckles opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Sally pushed on. "I remember the fun we used to have when we were kids and how happy I was to see you after all those years. And unless I'm mistaken, you were pretty happy too."

"Of course I was," Knuckles said, finding his voice, "My best friend I thought had abandoned me like everyone else turned out to be leading a revolt against that idiot, Robotnik. Never had I ever imagined that you were just busy hiding. I had just assumed that I was destined to live and die alone on this damn island forever. I will never forget that moment when you turned around in that chair and I saw you for the first time in over 10 years."

"Good. Then you know how I felt… more or less."

"But why are you bringing up such painful memories?"

Sally gulped, not quite intending to reveal this much so soon. Knuckles stared at her expectantly. Damn it, she had no choice. Summoning up her courage, she took a deep breath. "I… I… I just…"

"Yes?"

"I love you, Knuckles. I always have, though I didn't know it before."

Knuckles' jaw hung open and he dropped the wood he was carrying. "What?" he managed.

"I didn't mean to tell you so soon, but I walked right into a trap." Sally explained, that hole in her abdomen seemed to deepen and drop about 10 degrees.

Knuckles sat on a nearby stump as he tried to process this information. Sally secretly loved him? He was partially relieved, since he had always been attracted to her in more than just a physical way, but not sure how she felt about him. But he also felt unease boil up too. How would Sonic… or worse, Julie take it? He and Julie were supposed to be soul mates, but Sally made things complicated.

"Are you ok? I didn't break you, did I?"

Knuckles blinked out of his stupor and looked at Sally for a moment as if forgetting where he was. "No. I'm fine," he said at length.

Sally sighed with relief, but couldn't relax. "You don't hate me now, do you? Oh, God, you probably think I'm such a floozy!"

Knuckles stood and clasped Sally's hands in his grip. "No. I could never hate you, or think you were a 'floozy'. I'm just surprised is all. Where- where did this come from?"

Sally stared into his amethyst eyes and found real warmth there. "You made a promise to me one day, remember?"

Knuckles had a faint recollection of something like that, but couldn't bring it to mind at the moment. "You mean ever since we were kids?"

"I think so. It's a bit hazy, but I'm pretty sure that I was crushing hard then."

"Wow. If I had known… things could've been very different."

"What do you mean?"

"I had, well, feelings for you for a long time. But I had always assumed you thought we were just friends. And when you got with Sonic, I got really jealous, but tried my best to be a good friend. Then I met Julie, and things just happened. Speaking of Julie, does she know?"

"I- I don't think so."

Knuckles fell silent and contemplated what this exactly meant. Sally, on the other hand, desperately wondered what was going on in his head. Finally Knuckles let Sally's hands go and turned away. "It's getting late, we'll talk more about this tomorrow," he decided.

Sally reluctantly nodded and helped the echidna scoop up the firewood. She wondered what would happen now. She figured that if Julie found out, first the pink echidna would smack the crap out of her and then personally throw her off the island. She smiled a bit at the thought, despite herself. Knuckles and Julie were a lot alike in that respect.

* * *  
Knuckles and Sally entered the darkening cabin and found Julie sitting on the couch. "Oh, you're back," she greeted as she stood up and walked over to help relieve some of the burden they carried. She smiled at Knuckles but gave Sally a strange look, as if unsure how to respond to her presence. Sally felt the pit again and guessed it would become a common occurrence for a while.

Knuckles walked over to the fire place and began to place some tinder and logs in the base. Julie reseated herself and Sally walked over to the green furnishing. The only fabric covered furniture piece in the room. Julie gestured for her to sit and Sally obeyed, yet a wall of unease remained between them. Knuckles made a spark and fanned it into a small flame. "There we go, a nice roaring fire started," he announced and looked rather proud of it.

Julie nodded appreciatively while Sally just stared blankly at the flickering light. Knuckles sat on Julie's other side, almost as if avoiding Sally intentionally, it would appear to the chipmunk. She mentally kicked herself for thinking Knuckles would be that cold. Of course, he wasn't, but she wouldn't blame him for doing so.

Julie motioned as if to give Knuckles a kiss on the cheek, but he pulled away. Julie stared at him confusedly and then looked hurt. She cast a reproachful glance at Sally, almost as if she knew that Sally's fault that Knuckles was being distant. That notion was ridiculous as well, but all the same, Sally felt guilty. Part of her wanted to tell Julie, because she deserved to know, but she also knew that telling her wouldn't do anything but make her mad at both her and Knuckles. So she just remained silent and avoided Julie's gaze.

The three watched the fire dance and crackle for nearly a half-hour before Knuckles had to get up and add another log. When he finished, he turned to face the girls. "Well, I think it's time for bed. A little problem, though. We don't actually have a bed," he admitted, rubbing the back of his head embarrassedly. "We have the couch, the floor, or the altar. Personally, I prefer the altar, but it might get too cold for that, so Sal you can have the couch and Julie and me will have to get cozy on the floor."

"Oh no, you don't have to do that," Sally protested. "I'm the guest, so you two can have the couch and I can sleep on the floor."

"Knuckles is right, you are our guest, so priority goes to you," Julie reaffirmed. She stood and walked over to a wardrobe and selected a pile of blankets. Two comforters and some thinner ones she held and passed them out.

"I really don't mean to impose," Sally insisted.

"It's fine, really. Knuckles and I kinda sleep anywhere anyways. So don't sweat it."

"Well if you insist…"

"We do. Good night, Sal," Julie said as she spread a comforter in front of the roaring fireplace.

"Good night, Jules… and Knuckles."

"Night," he said simply, still avoiding eye contact. As she lay down, she couldn't help but feel that she had completely ruined any chance she might've had with him. Of course, she was a fool to think she ever had a chance with him in the first place. He could have only one love, and it would always be Julie. She held back the tears she felt like spilling. It would only make things worse when Julie asked her about it. She just let darkness wash over her as she fell asleep.

"So what's the matter?" whispered Julie into Knuckles' ear as they lay together beneath the covers.

"Nothing. I'm just tired," he lied, and felt bad about doing it. Julie wasn't convinced but let it go. Soon, Knuckles could hear the steady breathing of the two sleeping females, sleep eluded him, just out of reach. That thing Sally said about a promise ran through his mind over and over like a looped message. What promise could've he made to her to make her love him so much? Finally, well over an hour later he drifted into unconsciousness.

* * *

Amy watched Vanilla stroke Cream's headfur gently as the little bunny slept. Amy wondered what it must feel like to be a mother. She imagined it was a warm and fuzzy feeling. Of course, she had lots of experience with kids, but it still wasn't the same. "Vanilla?" she asked softly, not wanting to disturb the slumbering child.

"Yes, dear?"

"What is it like to be a mother?"

Vanilla looked up from her daughter briefly and met Amy's green eyes. "It's the most wonderful feeling in the world," she answered carefully. "You experience childhood a second time through your child's. You feel their joy, their pain, and their pride. There is nothing more rewarding than when you see you child grow up from an infant to an adult."

"Do you think I'll be a good mother someday?"

"Yes, someday. But you need to be sure that the one you have a child with is going to be involved with its life and even then, only when you know for certain that you're ready for the responsibility."

"How will I know?"

"When the time comes, you'll know. Trust me. The first moment you hold your child will be an unforgettable moment that will last forever."

"I hope I find the right man soon," Amy said wistfully.

Vanilla giggled quietly. "He'll turn up sooner or later," she promised. "Until then, I appreciate you helping with Cream."

"It's my pleasure," Amy said, "She's so kind and sweet. You've done a great job of raising her."

"Yes, no parent is perfect. All they can do is try their best and hope that the kid comes out alright."

Amy nodded sagely and lingered a while longer. "Would you like to sleep with me and Cream?" Vanilla offered.

"Oh. Um, sure, I would like that." Amy was already clad in her pink nightie and Vanilla wore footie pajamas like Cream's but much larger. She slipped in to the wide bed on Cream's left side and Vanilla pulled the covers over herself on Cream's other side. "Good night, Vanilla."

"Good night, Amy," Vanilla repeated, leaned over and kissed Cream's forehead softly (who hugged her Chao doll tighter in response), and turned out the light.

* * *

Elsewhere, Tails sat on the roof of the main building and stared at the twinkling stars. He was watching for shooting stars on the foolish hope that one might grant his wish for things to go back to the way they were before Sonic disappeared. Tails had never felt so lonely before. He had no hero, his leader deserted him, and his best friend betrayed his trust. He sighed and lay back on the grass covered roof. The sky of stars glittering above him, he let exhaustion overcome him.

* * *

Author's Note: Well the secret is out now! This isn't the climax yet, but everything thus far has built up to this. Now I want to hear what you, the readers, think of this long-awaited turning point. Please R&R. And heads up, another flashback is coming up. Now that Knuckles knows that Sally is looking to get with him, how is he going to react? Will they tell Julie or will she have to find out the hard way? What about Sonic? Will he catch wind of this and fight Knuckles? Maybe. Check in frequently to find out!


	8. Chapter 8: Broken Promises

**Chapter 8: Broken Promises:**

In his dark room, Sonic tossed and turned on his mattress, but no matter what position he laid in, he couldn't seem to get comfortable. He glanced at his clock on the bedside table. The red lights glared 12:30 a.m.

Giving up, he cast the sheets onto the floor and went to the kitchen for a snack. He browsed the fridge, yet had no appetite for anything. He shook his head and started to head back to his quarters. He halted outside Sally's door and on impulse entered.

He took a few steps in and looked around. It seemed untouched (since he didn't know about Tails' earlier intrusion). A sudden pang hit him in the chest, like his heart being violently ripped out. For the first time in his life, he felt sorry for himself. He finished crossing the room and sat on the edge of Sally's bed, neatly made even though she had left in the middle of the night. He thought he could still smell her scent, but that was impossible, he must've been imagining it.

Noticing the framed portrait on Sally's table resting on its face, he picked it up and studied it. A fresh wave of sadness washed over him as he was reminded of a time before the team drifted apart. He felt something wet and hot run down his face. Slowly, he reached up and put his hand on his cheek. When he observed his hand, he found a damp spot on his white gloves.

With a start, he realized he was actually crying. The mighty hero was brought low. He no longer bothered to repress his emotions any longer. He just let his tears fall upon the protective glass covering the picture as he tenderly stroked Sally's image. His sobs occasionally rose in volume before falling once more.

Amy twitched in her sleep as an indistinct sound reached her sensitive ears. When it didn't stop, she reluctantly sat up. Rubbing her bleary eyes, she glanced at Cream and Vanilla. Both rabbits were slumbering blissfully unaware. If it wasn't them, then where was it coming from?

Slipping out of bed, Amy padded out into the hallway. Listening intently, she discerned it came from two doors down on the left. Sally's room? Frowning, she shuffled down the hall groggily, putting her hands on the wall supportively as to avoid bumping into them.

She reached Sally's open door and peered inside. She saw Sonic hunched over a picture frame and his shoulders rose up and down erratically. Wordlessly, she slipped inside and walked over to the hedgehog and put a comforting hand gently on his shoulder. Sonic flinched and looked up with a startled expression. "Oh, Ames; it's only you," he said, his voice barely more than a hoarse whisper.

"Sonic? Are you all-right?" she asked, instantly awake.

"Yes… No… I don't know," he answered.

"Want to talk about it?"

Sonic nodded weakly.

"Is it about Sally?"

"Yes."

"I bet you miss her."

Sonic nodded again and showed Amy the picture he was holding before he spoke. "But more than that, I miss the way things were before. Ya know? Before we fell apart."

Amy felt a twinge of empathy for her idol. "We all do," she told him.

Sonic shook his head. "But I'm the one who messed it all up. If I hadn't of faked my death, then maybe, just maybe, Bunnie and Ant and all of them might still be with us. I scared them away."

"Look, Sonic. You can't blame yourself. Bunnie and Antoine had been talking about leaving the force to settle down long before you supposedly died. It wasn't your fault."

Sonic wasn't convinced. "I tried my best, Ames. I really did. I thought it was for the best, but I was wrong and I let my foolish pride get between me and Sal. I thought I was freer than ever since Sal was the only real thing tying me down, but now…" his voice failed him.

"It's not too late, you know? You can still get her back."

"Ya think so?"

"I do. If Sally really loves you, and I'm sure she does, she'll forgive you. But you have to do it before you lose her to someone else."

"Then what am I waiting for? I've got to get her." Sonic wiped the tear stains off of his face and stood up.

"Wait," Amy cried. She pulled him back down. "You can't go tonight. Everyone's asleep. Wait until morning," she suggested.

Sonic stared at the pink hedgehog for a few moments then nodded tersely. "First thing in the morning I'm off," he agreed.

"Oh, not so fast you aren't. I'm making pancakes for breakfast tomorrow and you are going to eat if I have to tie you down!" Amy retorted with a broad smile.

Despite his lingering depression, Sonic smiled back and lay down in Sally's bed. Within minutes, sleep finally came to him. Amy lingered for a bit, then ever so gently placed a kiss on his forehead and left him to sleep in peace.  
* * *

_Knuckles, now seven years old, lay panting in grass of a flower field with Sally. The two were utterly exhausted from a day full of raucous play. This particular trip was one of pleasure. The war with Robotnik seemed to be going well, as a temporary cease-fire had been called. However, the two were ignorant of the kingdom's troubles and were enjoying watching clouds roll by high in the sky. Gradually, Knuckles reached out and touched Sally's hand. She opened it and received his. They held hands and simply enjoyed each other's presence._

_"Are we alone?" asked Sally._

_Knuckles turned to look at his friend. "Yeah, I think so."_

_"Good, because I have something to give you," said Sally._

_Knuckles sat up and wondered what gift Sally could be talking about. He initially thought grapes maybe and his belly growled at the notion. But that hope died when he noticed no fruit nearby. In fact, he didn't see anything._

_Sally sat up too, leaned over to the echidna and put her lips to his. Knuckles was shocked by this. What in the world was she doing? He didn't resist though and felt a warm tingle creep through his little body. To Knuckles now, he knew it was a sloppy kiss, but at the time, he had never felt such pleasure._

_After a few seconds, Sally pulled away a little, leaving Knuckles yearning for more. "What was that?" he asked dumbfounded._

_Sally giggled at his naivety. "It was a kiss, silly," she explained. "I saw it in a movie once."_

_"A movie?"_

_"Yeah. You know; moving pictures?"_

_Knuckles just stared blankly._

_"Never mind. Mother told me that a kiss is sacred and that I should only kiss the man I want to marry."_

_Marry? Knuckles knew what that was, but it never occurred to him to marry the princess. But now, it seemed he had little choice. He knew enough that the man proposed to a woman on one and knee as he proclaimed his undying love for her. Playing along, Knuckles shifted to one knee and swiped a small handful of nearby wildflowers as he took Sally's dainty hand._

_"Princess? Will you marry me?"_

_"Yes!" Sally said, a little louder than she had intended. She accepted the flowers and gave them a sniff, then promptly sneezed. "I must be allergic," she informed him. She set the flowers aside and kissed him a second time, a little better now that she was used to it. "We'll have a castle of our own someday, won't we, Knuckles?"_

_"Sure. And we'll be a Mommy and Daddy," added Knuckles._

_"And have lots of kids, right?"_

_"Yeah, and our Dads and your Mom and brother can live with us. Oh, and the Master Emerald too, so it doesn't get lonely."_

_Knuckles and Sally fell silent and daydreamed about that distant future. The sun began to set, turning the sky a bright gold. Knuckles and Sally scooted together and Knuckles put his arm on her side, holding her close as the sun sunk into the far ocean._

_"Don't you wish it could be like this forever?" asked Sally._

_"Yeah," Knuckles replied._  
* * *

Knuckles' eyes snapped open and he shot up. The memory came to him in his sleep and he remembered it vividly. How could've he forgotten about that? It was the last time Sally ever visited Angel Island for over a decade. The next trip, Sally fell ill and her mother stayed behind to tend to her. The King and Elias's helicopter was sabotaged. It blew up in midair and sank to the bottom of the ocean as he later found out.

To his side, Julie moaned and rolled onto her side. Knuckles held still until he was sure she was back asleep. He slipped out of the blanket and tiptoed to the door, not bothering to put on his shoes. Sally mumbled something in her sleep and then fell silent. He opened the door and stepped out into the chill predawn air.

He set off for the shrine, knowing he would need the guidance of his ancestors. Would they seriously hold him to a promise made ten years ago when he was still a child?

* * *

Author's Note: Sorry that the update took a couple days to be posted and was pretty short by comparison, but I ran into a bit of a wall when I tried to fill another chapter with a flashback. Instead I decided to go and make Sonic relevant again and bring him back into the story while skipping ahead to point I wanted to reach with Knuckles' flashback. So now, Sonic is ready to come to terms with his failings as a hero, friend, and boyfriend. Knuckles has a flashback to when he and Sally actually kinda proposed to each other, but it was supposed to only be a harmless childhood fantasy. On a side note, I've already mapped out the rest of the story, all I have to do is write/type it out. I will reveal that Tails and Sonic reconcile somewhat in the next chapter. Until then, R&R.


	9. Chapter 9: I Trusted You!

**Chapter 9: "I Trusted You!"**

A shadow fell over Tails and the absence of the sun's warming rays made the fox shiver. He slowly opened his eyes, wincing from the ambient light, and beheld Sonic's silhouette standing over him. The fox frowned and asked, "Sonic? What do you want?"

"I want you to come down and join us for breakfast," he replied.

"No thank you. I'll pass," Tails grumbled as he closed his eyes and pretended to take no further notice of the hedgehog. Sonic continued to stand over the fox, until he felt uncomfortable and somewhat cross. "Can't you take a hint?! Leave me alone!"

"I know you're angry, Tails, and you have every right to," said Sonic. The hedgehog sat down on the mossy roof and let his legs dangle over the sides. Tails' grumpiness faded as he sat up and watched his former mentor's actions. Sonic looked ashamed, with his face bearing a somber expression, his ears drooped, and he avoided eye contact. It was almost as if he felt guilty. "I'm no good at this sort of thing so I'm come right out and say it," he began.

"Say what?"

Sonic looked over at Tails and locked eyes. "I'm sorry."

Tails's amazement was temporary. "Sorry for what?"

"For being such a jerk lately. I realize that I hurt you, Sal, and everyone that cares about me with my actions. So I'm sorry. Do ya forgive me?"

Tails looked away for a minute and felt all his hurt and anger just melt away. "I guess… I can't stay mad at you; you were just doing what you thought was right."

Sonic smiled and clapped his friend on the back heartily. "I'm glad to hear ya say that, little buddy. Let's go inside and eat, then we can go find Sally." Sonic stood up and started to lead the way down. Tails sat there for awhile longer and stared after the hedgehog for a moment then stood and followed him.  
* * *

Sally awoke to a dim room. Forgetting where she was at for a moment, she sat up and looked around. Oh yeah, she was at Knuckles' cabin. The quaint furniture was cast in gray light that filtered through his closed shades. She looked towards the fireplace, the fire had died down quite some time ago and Julie lay in a bundle of blankets nearby. Wait. Julie? Where was Knuckles?

Sally looked around the entire cabin, but didn't see him anywhere. A pit opened again in her stomach when she remembered what she had revealed to him last night. What an idiot… He was probably avoiding her. Not that she could blame him. She had just gone and made their close friendship weird.

Maybe it was best if she just left and hoped he forgot about it all. But, where would she go? She couldn't just skip out on two separate groups of friends without a word and she wouldn't go back to Sonic even if she could. Besides, the plane had no fuel left. She was trapped here until Knux took her back or Sonic came to get her. She should've thought about that earlier.

Turning back to Julie's resting form, Sally felt as if she were suffocating under a sea of guilt. The least she could do was tell Julie about last night; she deserved to know, even if she tried to kill Sally. With a heavy heart, she crawled over to the pink echidna and gently shook her shoulder. Julie stirred and mumbled, "Knuckles… Stop it…Jus' five more min…"

"It's Sally." The chipmunk told her.

Julie cracked her eyes open and saw the princess leaning over her. "You aren't going to kiss me again, are you?" she asked sleepily.

Sally flushed slightly. "Er, no. Not right now."

"Oh, that's a shame."

Sally was confused by Julie statement, but didn't have much time to ponder it. She needed to tell Julie before Knuckles came back and tried to stop her. "Julie, there's something you should know…"

"What's that?" Julie asked, now wide awake. She sat up, forcing Sally to retreat a bit.

"I messed up big time…"

"What?"

"I… I tried to seduce Knuckles last night." Sally felt the knot in her gut loosen a bit, but it didn't disappear.

"I thought you might've," said Julie, with a sagely nod. Sally looked into Julie face looking for any trace of anger. To her surprise, she found none.

"Well…? Aren't you going to slap me… or something?!"

Julie gave her a strange look. "Now why on Mobius would I do that?"

Sally was rendered speechless, and that rarely happened to the chipmunk. Once she found the sense to speak, she exclaimed, "I tried to sleep with your boyfriend!"

"So?"

"What do you mean 'so?'?!"

"You didn't succeed."

Sally got a little irritated by that remark. "You don't have to rub it in…"

"I'm not trying to; I'm merely wishing you better luck next time. Just let me know ahead of time so I can give you guys some space."

Again, Sally had no counter argument and, besides, why was she trying to convince Julie to beat the holy crap out of her? At length she finally responded, "You're taking this remarkably well…"

Julie's expression changed to something akin to embarrassment. "Well, things were different where I grew up…" she began.

"'Different' how?"

"Well, it wasn't considered taboo for one to have several mates in the Dark Legion at any given time. As a result, it wasn't uncommon to find any handful of soldiers to have half brothers or sisters scattered throughout the territory. Although I've cut off ties with them, some of their practices are still ingrained into my personality."

"So let me get this straight," Sally said slowly, "You don't mind Knuckles cheating on you with me? And you're fine with me competing with you for his attention?"

"Not quite. First off, I never said 'compete', you did. Second, I wouldn't call it 'cheating' if I gave him permission. And thirdly, I would rather it be you he messed around with rather than some random skank off the streets. He's your friend and you're mine as well. That practically makes us related already. Wait, no, that didn't come out right…"

Sally considered this carefully. It would appear that Julie had a very different idea of relationships than most Mobians, but that was hardly surprising considering Julie's history in the Dark Legion, a mostly taboo society in on itself. "Ok," she said after processing this new information. "So basically what you're saying is that we 'share' Knuckles? How exactly would that work and why offer me the opportunity?"

"Well first, it would be entirely up to Knuckles whether he'd want to date you too or not. I can't make him and I'm pretty sure you can't either. If he did, we'd just have to see where it went."

"But why are you giving me the chance?"

Julie took a deep breath then answered. "When I first saw Knuckles I felt it. A stirring deep within myself that at the time I didn't understand and wouldn't for a long time. It was only later that I couldn't repress my instincts any longer and I sought out this mysterious echidna who pretty much ruined my life (whatever it was worth). After I met him up close for the first time, I knew it. We were soulmates. Destined to be together, but first I had to be sure he felt it too.

"Over time, a common bond manifested between us, much to his family's dismay. This strengthened and before you knew it, we were joined as one like we are today. However, a curious thing about the Soul Touch is that it doesn't recognize social protocol. It's only objective is to bring souls that were made for each other together. Every species experiences it even if they don't realize it. And sometimes, it means more than two souls are brought together by it. All of this leads me to ask you this one question… Do you love him?"

A silence fell between them as Julie stared evenly into Sally's brown eyes. This wasn't a question to be taken lightly. It was a very personal and sacred query. She pondered it in silence as she began to rake her mind and probe her innermost feelings. Did she? Or was she simply trying to get back Sonic for all the grief he had caused her? Never before had such a short question make her think so hard.

At last, Sally blinked as she came to her conclusion. "I don't know," she admitted. "Everything has been so stressful lately with Sonic's return that I can't be sure if my feelings for Knuckles are real or imagined."

Julie looked disappointed but didn't push it. Instead, she leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "Go find out."  
* * *

Sonic was stuffed and honestly couldn't take another bite even if Amy force fed it to him. He belched satisfactorily which earned him a disapproving glare from Amy. He pretended not to notice, but reminded himself to apologize later. Seated next to him, Tails trembled as he lifted his fork up his lips but couldn't bring himself to finish the last bite. He let the utensil clatter back onto his messy plate and wiped his sticky muzzle with the back of his glove. The pancakes had been wonderful, and Amy had added fresh blueberries that she and Cream had gathered earlier to the mix.

After letting his stomach adjust, Sonic stood up and took his plate as well as Tails' to the sink. "Thanks fer the pancakes," he said as he passed Amy. "They were delish, but Tails and I need to be setting out now."

Amy blushed slightly at the praise and nodded to excuse them. "Vanilla and I will clean the dishes, just go and get our leader back," she informed the blue hedgehog.

Tails's eyelids drooped drowsily. He was snapped awake by Sonic prodding him with an elbow. "C'mon, little buddy, gotta shake a leg."

"Oh, right," Tails agreed. He thanked Amy then followed Sonic out of the kitchen. It felt great to be Sonic's sidekick again, and no matter what Sonic did in the past, Tails would always want to be by his hero's side. He wondered what could've made Sonic turn a new leaf like this overnight, but whatever it was, the fox was glad it did.

Outside, the sun was shining brightly and rising up across the azure sky. Tails was forced to squint or risk being blinded. Sonic glanced over at his companion, a brotherly love glowing in his wide green eyes. A small smile played at the edges of his face as he stretched for a brisk run. "Ya ready, li'l bro?"

"Yup. Where are we going?"

"The place where Sally ran off to."

"And where's that?"

Sonic hesitated, and then decided to tell him. "I'm pretty sure she's on Angel Island."

Tails looked up at the hedgehog. "I thought so too."

Sonic's face clouded up with confusion. "How did you guess that?"

Tails delayed as if he didn't want to answer, but reluctantly admitted, "The day after Sally went missing I snuck into her room and tried to look for clues."

"You mean to say you were snooping?!"

"I wouldn't call it that, but more-or-less yes. Anyways, I found a picture of Aunt Sally and Knuckles as kids resting on her dresser. It seemed out of place considering the rest were lodged in the mirror's frame. It didn't take much to put two and two together."

Sonic nodded. "Right. Good work, but we better keep this between us. I can't imagine what Sal might do if she found out you snooped around her room."

"Agreed."

"Anyways, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"But wait, how are we supposed to get to Angel Island? Sally took the plane and I can't fly that far let alone carry you too."

"I thought about that already. Remember that Knuckles gave Vector and them a warp ring in case of emergency?"

"Oh, yeah. I had almost forgotten about that."

"Well I'm sure Vec wouldn't mind us borrowing it for a few."

"So to the Chaotix's base?"

"Yep." With that, Sonic bolted, leading the way across the field. Tails was surprised, but quickly recovered and propelled himself forward after the blue blur.  
*

"I'm sorry, pal; but I can't just give it to you. Knux gave it to us to take care of and use only in emergencies."

"Ah, c'mon, Vec! The princess is missing! This IS an emergency," Sonic countered. The croc before him was puffing on a cigar with the warp ring set on the desk between the two. Espio stood nearby looking bored, but silently keeping tabs on the conversation. Charmy was out doing errands for the team and Tails just stood nervously by Sonic's side.

"Well, I can understand that, but the fact is, Knux gave it to the Chaotix for us to use, not loan out to anyone who asks nicely."

"Dammit, Vec! Just open the portal!"

Vector nodded towards the fox. "Why don't you guys just use his snazzy plane? The Twister or whatnot?"

Sonic ran a gloved hand over his face, trying to keep his temper under control. "Sally took that when she left."

Vector looked back to Sonic. "Well, why didn't ya say so? That sucks no doubt, but my hands are tied."

Sonic resisted the urge to grab the croc's neck chains and strangle him with them. He took a deep breath and tried to come up with a different argument. Suddenly a thought occurred to him. "Say, Vec," he began.

"Yeah?"

"You consider yourself a ladies' man, right?"

Vector grinned toothily. "Of course. I'm a regular lady killer."

"Well you wouldn't stand in the way of true love would ya?"

Vector's smile fell in puzzlement. "Whaddaya mean?"

"I broke up with Sal, but now I know that was the biggest mistake I ever made. Ya gotta let me at least have a chance to make things right."

Vector sat back and puffed on his cigar as he contemplated. At length, he finally answered, "Well if it's for love, I suppose I can't stand in the way." He sighed and looked over at the chameleon by the door. Espio nodded almost imperceptibly. Looking back to Sonic, he stood up. "Ok, I'll open it, but don't make me regret it." He picked up the distinct ring and held it at arm's length pointing to spot near the desk. "Open," he commanded.

A round hole opened in the middle of the room. The edges were hazy, but the center beheld a thick swath of trees. It was like a window to a different dimension, but instead of a parallel universe, it just led to Angel Island. "Be warned," Vector intoned ominously, "The warp opens on the outskirts of the island. Knux set it there for obvious security reasons."

Sonic gave an acknowledging nod, but kept eyes on the portal as if it might collapse in an instant. "Thanks, Vec. I mean it, this means a lot."

The croc rubbed his head embarrassedly. "Aw, it's nothing. Just make sure ya didn't waste my time."

Sonic stepped forward and began to enter head first. "C'mon, Tails. There's no telling when it might close."

Tails started after the hedgehog when an afterthought came to Vector. "Oh! Wait, once ya step through, there's no coming back since ya don't have the ring. This is a one-way trip."

"Understood," Tails acknowledged. "Oh, and tell Charmy 'hi' for me."

"Will do," Vector confirmed as he waved them off. The portal collapsed in on itself as Tails's namesakes disappeared inside. Vector sat back down in his office chair and put the ring back on his desk. He puffed his cigar again and then opened a drawer and pulled out a Polaroid of a certain female bunny. He stared at it until he realized that Espio was still watching him.

"What'cha looking at, ya slimy lizard?" he snapped. Espio merely shrugged and left the hostile room. Vector instantly felt bad about yelling at the chameleon like that, but his pride prevented him from apologizing. Oh well, Espio was used to it anyways. He put the picture back in his drawer and exchanged it for a bottle of whiskey.  
* * *

Shortly after her curious talk with Julie, Sally ventured out to find where Knux had gone. She wasn't surprised to come across him kneeling before the Master Emerald at the shrine. In fact, it was where Julie suggested he would be at and the first place Sally looked. He appeared deeply focused on something in his mind. His back was to her and his eyes were closed as he mouthed soundless words. Not wanting to break his concentration, the chipmunk stood just to the side of the top of the stairs and watched him meditate.

After a few moments, he sensed a presence nearby and opened his right eye slightly to take a look. He was far from surprised to find her standing only feet away from him. Sally took this as an opportunity to approach the echidna. She closed the distance between them in a few steps and knelt beside him, gazing at the Master Emerald respectfully as she spoke to him, "I thought I might've found you here. Were you trying to contact your ancestors?"

Knuckles didn't answer at first. When he did, it was devoid of emotion. "Yes, but they won't answer…"

"What did you want to ask them? If you don't mind my asking."

"Not at all…" he began, taking a steadying breath before plowing on. "Last night I had a dream about when we were kids." Sally looked at him, pretty sure where this was going. "It was the last time you visited me in over a decade. I remember now, we sort of proposed to each other. Remember?"

Sally nodded.

With a hint of a smile he added, "I also recall that you were allergic to the flowers I gave you. Wild daisies, if I remember right. But anyways, I'm surprised you still remember that and even more surprised that I had almost forgotten about it. But I suppose you bury some of the good memories along with the bad," he said. "The instant I awoke, I felt this urge to consult with the spirits of the Master Emerald, but they've ignored my attempts to communicate. It's as if they themselves don't know the answer to my question."

"And what question is that?"

Knuckles turned to look into Sally's soft brown eyes. "Were we destined to be together or is this chance?"

"I don't think anyone knows that answer," Sally pointed out gently.

"Maybe," he agreed. "But whether or not we were brought together by fate or happenstance, what about Julie and Sonic? Where do they fit in into this? It kills me to admit this, but while I was with Julie, I always felt like something was missing. And now I'm thinking that it's you. It's just… How would this ever work? Am I going to have to choose between you or Julie? Sacrifice my friendship with Sonic for, what? Love? I'm just so lost right now."

"Actually, about Julie…" Sally began.

"What about her? Does she know? What did she say?!"

Sally swallowed. "Yes, I told Julie about , erm, 'us" and…"

"And what?"

"Well she told me to follow my heart, but I don't know where it's leading me right now. It's like a spinning compass, I can't make sense of it. But she said if I had the Soul touch with you like she did, that, well, that she'd learn to share."

Knuckles was rendered speechless. Once he found the strength to master his tongue, he echoed, "'Learn to share?'"

"Apparently in the Dark legion it's considered –"

"Yeah, I know about Legionnaire customs, but Julie share me with another woman?" he interrupted and then laughed at the irony of it. "That doesn't sound like her at all!"

"Well she said she would rather it be me than some skank from the city. Her words, not mine."

"Sounds like she was thinking of Rouge," he continued to chuckle. Over time, he calmed down and a pregnant pause settled in. "Where do we go from here?" Knuckles wondered aloud, breaking the silence.

"Wherever our hearts take us," Sally answered.

"And what does it say?" he asked.

Sally didn't answer this time. Instead, she pulled the echidna down a little and placed her lips against his for the first time in nearly a decade. At first, Knuckles resisted a little, but quickly melted into it and actually probed with his tongue at Sally's lips. She opened up in ecstasy and let him explore her mouth as she returned the favor likewise. The two new lovers put hands on the other and began to rub and stroke one another's fur.

Knuckles's large hands slid up and down Sally's back, up to her head, and pressed her face a little harder against his and thus deepened the kiss. Sally, on the other hand, stroked Knuckles's chest and traced his white crescent pattern. She could feel his taut muscles just beneath the fur and skin, almost like speed bumps. After a few minutes, Knuckles chanced it and moved his hands over to her front and cupped his mitts over Sally's somewhat modest breasts. He kneaded them softly, trying to judge Sally's reaction. She placed her hands over his and helped guide his motions. Clearly, she liked the treatment.

By now, both had to break the kiss for couple split seconds to breathe and let out little moans or chirps. Knuckles put a little extra of his weight against Sally, and the chipmunk allowed herself to be laid back in front of the Master Emerald altar. Knuckles reluctantly had to put one hand on her leg and help her straighten it out behind him. She then wrapped both of her legs around his strong waist as she straddled his body. Knuckles could feel his nether regions awaken and begin to stir, but somehow, it just felt right. At this moment, nothing else seemed to matter.

Lost in passion, the two would-be lovers didn't hear the approaching footsteps jogging up the stairs of the shrine. Suddenly the pair of stepping sounds ceased and an outraged cry tore through the scene. "What the fuck?! I trusted you!"

* * *

Author's Note: Sorry it took so long for the update to come about, but I wasn't happy with Julie and Sally's dialogue. And to be honest, I'm still not 100% satisfied with it, but I can't fiddle with it forever so here is the next chapter. Um, a similar discussion was shown in SoulEnder's Chaos, Order, and Balance and I think he did a better job, but whatever, I can always change it later if I want to. First thing I should mention about the story, I considered having Knux and Sal go all the way in this chapter, but decided that that would constitute a rating change from T to M and I didn't feel like doing that. So I stopped it once it got saucy and suggestive. Hope y'all liked it. Second, I have some good news and bad news. Good news is that this chapter is about twice as long as any of my others (about 10 pages compared to the usual five or two). Bad news is this is the second to last chapter in this story (not counting the Epilogue). More good news though, I'm considering making a prequel that spans the year Sonic disappeared and how the characters in this story each responded to this unexpected loss. Anyways, R&R and be sure to check up on my other fanfics if you liked this one and haven't seen the others yet. Right, well, until next time.


	10. Chapter 10: Too late

**Chapter 10: Too Late:**

Knuckles and Sally broke apart and whipped their heads to see Sonic and Tails standing right in front of the stairs. Knuckles quickly slid off of Sally but forgot to help her up in his surprise. "S-Sonic!" he stammered with an "oh shit!" expression. "How d-did you get on the island?" he asked.

"Doesn't matter," the hedgehog snapped, "I'm here and what do I find?" Knuckles opened his mouth to explain, but Sonic didn't give him a chance to answer. "My best friend all over MY girlfriend!"

"Sonic, I can explain," Sally began.

The seething hedgehog turned to her and began to vent his anger on her. "Tell me, how many times have you fucked him?"

Sally was at a loss for words. Why was Sonic being such a jerk? More importantly, why was he here sticking his pointy nose in her business?

When Sally didn't answer, something in Sonic snapped. It was as her inability to answer confirmed his outrageous accusation. Nevertheless, the blue blur turned back on Knuckles and launched himself at the echidna before the said victim could blink. Knuckles was knocked onto his back as Sonic straddled his chest and began to viciously swing at the defenseless echidna under him. Once Knuckles recovered enough senses to try and defend himself, he put his hands up in a silent plea for mercy. Sonic ignored his gesture and repeatedly struck the echidna's jaw.

Knuckles took a few hits with a grain of salt, since he figured he probably deserved it, but soon he found himself getting angry. How dare this insolent hedgehog come to his island and attack him like this! Knuckles reared back a fist and punched his attacker in the gut. Sonic wheezed and stopped his assault to catch his breath. But before Knuckles could strike again, two figures put their arms around Sonic's and hauled him off the echidna. With a minor start, Knuckles noticed Julie was one of them and Sally was the other. Between the two of them, they managed to pin Sonic down.

The blue hedgehog panted as he caught his breath glaring daggers at Knuckles as he got to his feet with Tails' help. "Let me go!" Sonic demanded.

"No, Sonic," Sally told him firmly then she glanced at Julie. "Thanks," she said.

Julie just shook her head, "You can thank me by telling me what the hell is going on?! I heard the fight from the cabin and came up to find Sonic on top of Knuckles beating the crap out of my boyfriend."

Before Sally could answer, Sonic spat, "Maybe you should keep your boyfriend on a shorter leash, Jules! He was sucking Sally's face just a few minutes ago."

Julie looked at her boyfriend in surprise. "Oh really? Good for you, I almost doubted that you'd do it, but I guess you proved me wrong."

Tails' jaw dropped open in shock and even Sonic looked utterly stunned. "Ya mean you knew about it?" Sonic asked, disbelief clear in his voice.

Julie loosened her grip on Sonic a little. "Well, not exactly, but I guessed it was going to happen sooner or later, I'm just surprised he took the idea so well."

"What idea?" asked Tails at last.

"Me and Sal sharing him of course," Julie answered, almost blithely.

Sonic and Tails had no response, just staring at the female echidna in astonishment. "And you're okay with that…?" Sonic breathed after a long pause.

"Sure. Why not? It's perfectly natural if you think about it," Julie replied off-handedly.

Knuckles was still rubbing his sore jaw when he walked up to Sonic and asked him, "Now, mind telling me exactly why you attacked me and how exactly you got on the island without the plane?"

Sonic's hostility began to rise again, but he had to repress his urges since Julie and Sally still held him down. "How about you getting freaky with my girlfriend for starters?" he spat.

"**Ex**-girlfriend," Sally reminded Sonic. "You dumped me two days ago, remember? Or have you already forgotten?"

"No, I didn't forget. I'm just regretting doing so and came to apologize. And you can't really blame me for staying at least a little possessive. I mean like you said, we just broke up only two days ago and it looks like you already moved on."

"You're right, Sonic. I have moved on. Knuckles loves me and I love him; you can't just crash in and decide you want me back now that I'm happy, it doesn't work that way."

"What do you mean, you love him? I thought you loved me," Sonic said softly, his spirit apparently shattered by Sally's words.

"I thought so too, but the last few days have taught me that you care only about yourself and I deserve someone who isn't so selfish. I'm sorry, Sonic, but you're too late."

"But he's changed!" Tails interjected on Sonic's behalf. "He's trying to atone for his mistakes and he deserves to have the chance to explain himself," he finished.

Sally sniffed, "What do I care? Clearly he's not going to change. Knuckles and I were about to share something special and he ruins it than tries to make it all about himself like we're betraying his trust! He doesn't own me and as I recall he himself said, 'It's over.' Why should I give one iota about what he has to say? Nothing he says could ever erase the hurt he's caused us. Not only me, but you and Amy too."

Tails cleared his throat and answered, "I honestly believe he wants to try. Please find it in your heart to at least listen to him. You two have been through so much together to let it fall apart just because of a petty squabble."

"Stop talking about me like I'm not here," Sonic grumbled. He looked up at Sally. "Listen, Sal. I know I said some things I might regret, but just hear me out."

Sally looked from Julie to Knuckles. Julie nodded while Knuckles looked away. "Alright, I'll listen," she agreed, "but that doesn't mean I forgive you."

Sonic bowed his head then began, "I'm sorry for what I did and I realize no amount of words or actions could ever fix the damage I've done. But I'd like to try. I've made more mistakes then I care to think about, but my biggest one is leaving you, all of you, like I did. And on top of that, I broke up with you and that is the worst personal choice I've ever made. I don't expect you to forgive me right away and you might not ever and you may be well within your rights, but I'd at least like to give us another chance. All I need is for you to say, 'okay'."

Sally hesitated. Sonic seemed sincere in his attempt to ask for forgiveness, but Sally wasn't so quick to forget all the times where Sonic ignored others feelings. Always putting himself in danger and leaving her hoping he's fine, but fearing he's not. It seemed every time things got tough, he'd flake out and try to outrun his problems. Knuckles at least could be relied on; whenever she had needed him, he was there no questions asked. She felt sorry that it had taken this to realize that Knuckles could ever be more than just a friend. Still, despite whatever Sonic did, she always forgave him only to have him screw up again. Perhaps that was true love, forgiving his transgressions because no matter what he did, she'd always love him.

She sighed and looked at Julie. The echidna just looked back at her as if telling her, "follow your heart." She looked over at Knuckles. The other echidna avoided her eyes, but spoke to Sonic. "Tell me, Sonic. Are you doing this because you really love her, or is it just your pride speaking? Are you really going to change or are you going to break her heart again once she forgives you?"

Sonic looked up at the red one and met his eyes. "I do. I never meant… You know what? Sally," he turned to her. "Do whatever makes you happy. All I want is for you to be happy and I hope that Knuckles can make you that way. I hope he can succeed where I've failed." Knuckles turned his head to face Knuckles. "Knux… Take care of her alright? Treat her better than I did, because believe me, you never know what you have till it's gone…"

Knuckles' expression didn't change as he maintained a stern expression. Sally felt something stir inside her. If Sonic was willing to let her go, the he must've changed. Although she should happy that she was free to choose, she suddenly felt a deep sadness. Sonic really did love her, even if he forgot to show it at times. On the other hand, she also loved Knuckles and apparently, he loved her right back. Would she really have to choose? Choose one over the other? Make one happy while breaking the other's heart? What would be the right choice? Was there even a right choice?

Sally shook her head and let Sonic go. There were too many questions and not enough answers. She looked from Julie to Knuckles to Tails to Sonic. Each responded with varying expressions. Julie still emanated an aura of freedom of choice, Knuckles appeared unwilling to come to terms with this, Tails had a hopeful expression, and finally Sonic looked utterly defeated in body and spirit. At length, she gave her decision. "I need time to think this over, but for now, I think it would be best to go back to the mainland."

Julie nodded and Tails looked ready to burst with joy. Knuckles however revealed little, as if he built a brand new wall around him and Sally knew things would never go back to the things were between them. He made a move to leave the area and she caught his arm. He looked at her with surprise, but sadness filled his eyes. He realized this and averted his gaze away from hers. "Knuckles, I want you to know this doesn't mean I'm getting back with Sonic. I need time to figure things out… You understand that don't you?"

"Yeah, sure…" he murmured as his voice cracked. Sally felt like her heart was being torn to shreds as he walked away, but didn't stop him this time. In time, she would make it up to him, but she couldn't afford to be hasty in deciding anything right now. She was too caught up in emotion and that's exactly what got her in this mess in the first place.

Julie spoke. "I'm gonna go find Knux and have him juice the plane so ya guys can go home." With that, she jogged after her boyfriend and disappeared into the jungle.

Sonic got to his feet with Tails's help and walked over to Sally. He stood by the chipmunk and attempted to put his hand on her shoulder. She shrugged it off and refused to look at him. Sonic exchanged a concerned look with Tails, but didn't try to make contact again and just stood beside her

A few minutes later, Julie called for the trio to meet them at the Tornado. Sonic and Tails followed Sally to the Tornado not far from the shrine. Once they got there, Knuckles had a hand on the engine of the craft and murmured something inaudibly. A green light glowed for a few seconds then faded. He opened his eyes and turned to the newcomers. He seemed to have regained his composure and looked evenly at the trio. "That should get you back to the mainland and the base, but no further," he informed them.

Julie looked on from the edge of the clearing. Knuckles sighed then started talking again. "Sal, I know that whatever you choose is for the best. No one knows your heart better than you do. And no matter what choice you make, it will be the right one."

Sally nodded acknowledging his words. Turning to Sonic, Knuckles added, "And Sonic, if she does choose you, if you hurt her ever again, I'll kick your ass."

Sonic smiled halfheartedly. "I wouldn't have it any other way." His smile faded and he grew a little more serious once again. "I'm sorry I attacked you like that, buddy."

Knuckles shook his head, "No, Sonic, if I had been in your place I probably would've done the same."

"All the same, it was wrong of me and I'm sorry."

"Don't sweat it," Knuckles affirmed. He took Sonic's arm and pulled the hedgehog closer in a manhug and patted the blue one's back gently. "Take care of her, I mean it."

"I'll try, if she has me."

Tails climbed into the cockpit and started to check dials and stuff before starting it up. Sonic backed away as Sally stepped up to Knuckles. "Thank you, for understanding," Sally said, "I don't deserve a good friend like you."

"No one earns good friends, they're just there for one another, regardless of what either has done for right or wrong," Knuckles told her.

Sally stood on her toes long enough to plant a kiss on Knuckles' lips for a brief moment. Sonic and Julie watched but didn't say anything. "We ready to go then?" Tails asked, as he turned on the ignition. The noise of the engine powering up and the blades beginning to spin drowned out any verbal answer and Sally nodded. She looked up into Knuckles' eyes for a heartbeat longer then climbed into the passenger seat while Sonic perched himself on the wing like he typically did. Knuckles backed up to stand beside Julie and watched Tails taxi and take off.

On impulse, Knuckles ran after the rising craft and Julie followed closely behind. The two were forced to stop at the edge of the island and watched the plane fade into a tiny speck in the horizon until it disappeared altogether. Knuckles was reminded of his childhood and how Sally left before. He felt similar to how he felt then, but oddly was also at peace. He wasn't alone, beside him stood his soul mate. Maybe not his only one, but one nevertheless and no one ever really knew what the future held. Someday, Sally might come back and join with him after all. But until then all he needed was beside him.

Julie sat down on the edge of the island. He sat beside her and put his arm around her and leaned against her. She rested her head on his shoulder and watched the horizon with him in silence until the sun set over the mainland and the sky darkened. Things would work out like they were meant to. Ultimately, love couldn't be planned. It happened unexpectedly and could happen to anyone. It could be gentle or it could be cruel. But in the end, everyone would find the one (or ones) they were meant to be with somehow in this vast world; that one person who cared and completed the other. Love was strange indeed. Of that, Knuckles was sure.

* * *  
Author's Note: This is the last chapter of Promises, but not the official end of the story. There will be an epilogue added at the end that ties things up. However, I would like to take a moment to thank you the readers for being with me on this journey. It was brief, true, but an emotional one for me at least. I appreciate all your reviews and support throughout. Without you, I would've likely abandoned this a while back. I admit that this wasn't perfect but I believe it's not bad for my first fanfic. Right, now that's over, I'm proud I've nearly finished this and will be changing my focus to my third story "The Mobian Experience (Working Title)". If any of you have a suggestion for a better title, I welcome them. You can find the story and summary on my profile. Again, thank you for your support. Special thanks to SoulEnder for being a good sport about me taking a leaf from his work. Shout out to werewolf lover99, GoldenBullet, and NataNegra for letting me know your opinions, I appreciate that and to werewolf lover99 for lending me his OCs for the cameo. Rinay, I look forward to whatever fanart you might fashion after this fanfic and my other. If you like this story, be sure to check my others and favorite/follow me as the author. Oh and be sure to keep an eye out for my proposed prequel in the making. Thank you!


	11. Chapter 11: Epilogue

**Epilogue:**

Julie and Amy fussed over Sally as the fiddled with the ruffles of the elegant white dress she wore and the crown of flowers resting on her professionally styled hair. "Its fine you two!" she laughed nervously. "I'm the one getting married after all," she reminded them.

Amy was on the verge of tears. "Oh, my Sonic and his princess are finally tying the knot!" she wailed. Although she'd come to terms with Sonic's love for Sally, she still referred to him as hers, a bit of a joke really.

"Yeah, we're proud of you. I'm glad you two worked things out after all," Julie agreed, ignoring Sally's words of desisting. "I mean it's a shame we never had that, erm, fling Knuckles wanted, but this is still an important day for all of us. Not only is it your marriage, but your coronation after Eggman's fall. Good riddance!" she added.

Sally blushed a little at the subject Julie brought up. True, she had considered it, but never got an opportunity after finally getting back with Sonic. He really did change. He never again deceived her or put himself unduly in danger. Knuckles of course wasn't all too happy about the outcome, but got over it and him and Sonic seemed inseparable when Knux accepted it. Sonic no longer seemed to blame Knuckles for nearly stealing Sally away from him.

As if summoned by speak of the devil, a familiar knock came from the door. "Come in," she called.

The door opened to reveal a bearded echidna in a traditional looking suit standing in the doorway. Knuckles strode in to the room and closed the door softly behind him.

"Knuckles," Sally greeted. "I'm glad you could attend."

"What? Did you expect me to miss my oldest friend's own wedding? And coronation to make it all the more special?" he asked, cracking a wide grin. His mechanical eye roved Sally's graceful form. "You're beautiful," he breathed. "Of course, you always have been, but the dress just proves my point."

"Thank you, Knuckles"

Amy decided to interject, "Wait. Should he be here before the ceremony?"

Knuckles gave a dismissive wave, "Ah, Amy, that's for the groom. Besides, surely you don't believe in old wives' tales?"

"Maybe they know what they're talking about on the subject of marriage. They are old wives after all," Amy defended herself.

"Touché," Knuckles conceded.

"Well what do you want?" Sally asked, "I know you didn't come to just debate the validity of urban legends."

"You're right," he told her. "I wanted to see you myself before you're married and become Mrs. Hedgehog."

Sally turned to face him. "Well, here I am. Not much has changed as you can see." She gestured her entire body.

Knuckles nodded as he stroked his beard. "You haven't aged a day… Sorry I can't say the same for myself," he joked.

"Oh, you're still handsome," she assured him and stepped off the stool, forcing Julie to abandon her work. "I wonder when you two plan to get hitched," she said as she indicated Knuckles and Julie.

Knuckles shook his head again and smiled, "Nah, we're not really the conformist type. We've decided we don't need a document that's says we love each other when we get by fine without it." Julie nodded her agreement.

"That's a shame," Sally said. "I was looking forward to torment Julie with details like she's been doing to me for days." She laughed and winked at the echidna.

"Looks like you won't have the pleasure," Julie retorted.

Knuckles glanced at his watch, "Well, it's only minutes before Sonic puts on the ole Ball-'n'-Chain. I've looked forward to this moment for a long time."

Sally punched his shoulder good-naturedly. "How dare you refer to me as a 'ball-and-chain!' It could have just as easily been you, you know?"

Knuckles grinned again as he tenderly rubbed the sore spot on his arm, "I know. I was just kidding. I'd be honored to have such a royal ball attached to my chain," he chuckled. "Although I suppose the people wouldn't appreciate a scandal involving a concubine," here he gestured to Julie, "from their first new King."

"Concubine am I?" Julie demanded, trying to keep a straight face, but failing.

"No; of course not, dear," Knuckles quickly soothed, as he winked at Sally. The chipmunk giggled as the echidnas pretended to be fighting. At least Knuckles found someone who made him happy. He deserved that after all he'd done for the Acorn Kingdom and, in a broader sense, the world even if most of the people didn't know the true story.

"I better get out of here, before I get attacked by crazy girls," Knuckles began as he started to back out of the room. "I need to go make sure Sonic doesn't try to escape anyways," he added, "As best man and priest, it wouldn't be fitting for me to let the groom go missing. Excuse me, ladies." With that, Knuckles left the room. Amy and Julie once again began fiddling with various aspects of Sally's outfit, the princess sighed but let the two have their fun.

At last, the wedding procession began. Knuckles stood behind the Master Emerald and Sonic was standing on his side looking rather regal in royal wear, since he would officially be taking on mantle of King of the New Acorn Kingdom. The guests, some former members of the Freedom Fighters and others common folk wishing to see this historic moment, rose to their feet respectfully as Sally began her way down the red carpet accompanied by Julie and Amy holding up her train. Cream the Rabbit skipped ahead of them, liberally tossing rose petals on the path. Tails watched her from beside Sonic holding a pillow with two rings resting on it.

Knuckles looked officious yet proud of having the honor of heading the wedding and coronation both of his closest friends. He had been named Steward by Sally the instant her royal line was recognized after Eggman's defeat. As such, it was his duty to oversee such events. Sally ascended the stairs and stopped opposite of Sonic. She smiled and he smiled right back, love clearly evident in his eyes.

"We are gathered here today to witness the union of these two souls under the eyes of the Gods. May Aurora bless her children and their marriage," Knuckles began and continued to recite the traditional passages of holy marriage.

At length, it came time for vows to be exchanged. Sonic was told to go first. Sonic produced the small black book in which he was supposed to write and recite his vows. Sally could see though the pages were blank except for a couple doodles at the bottom left corner s of the pages, making a flipbook of a sort. Trademark Sonic. "Sally, I know we had our rough spots and there were times when I tested our love, but somehow we came through. When I first met you, I must admit I thought you were some stuck-up princess who would be more of a liability than anything else. But over time, I grew feelings for you and I loved you like I never loved another other or ever since. I vow to run this kingdom to the best of my ability, but I will never forget the thing that matters most in my life: you."

Amy set up a wail in the crowd, but quickly controlled herself as she dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief. A handsome brown ferret male put a comforting hand on the hedgehog's back which Sally noted with some pleasure. Amy might've found someone after all.

Knuckles looked over to Sally as sonic tucked the book back in his vest pocket. Julie handed the chipmunk her book filled with nice, neat handwriting. She found the passage she wanted and proceeded to read aloud: "Sonic, you were my knight in shining armor from the moment I first laid eyes on you. I had always wished I would be able to marry for love and not an arranged marriage like my mother before me. With Eggman's takeover however, romance was forced to the back of mind as I hide for my life. But the way you courageously fought back with no regard for your own safety to see freedom restored to a broken land, made me reawaken my old dreams of true love. And while we've certainly had our share of trials and tribulations, I'm glad I had you by my side all through them. I never want anyone else to be by my side to help me rebuild what has been lost."

Knuckles nodded solemnly then with great relish started up again. "Now that the lovers have recited their vows to one another, I humbly ask the groom: What pledge do you give to Princess Sally?"

"A ring," Sonic answered. Tails walked up and presented the silk pillow to the hedgehog. Sonic plucked the gold ring with a Chaos Emerald shard embedded in it. He took Sally's bare hand in his own.

"And this Ring, do you give to Princess Sally as a sign and seal of the endless affection with which you will cherish her, and the unbroken fidelity with which you will perform to her the vows of a husband? Do you?"

"I do." With that, he slipped the ring on Sally's left wedding finger.

"Sonic, as you place this ring on Princess Sally's finger please repeat after me: WITH THIS RING I THEE WED; AND WITH ALL MY WORLDLY GOODS, I THEE ENDOW . . ."

"With this ring I thee wed; and with all my worldly goods, I thee endow my life and undying love." Sonic repeated and finished.

"Princess Sally what pledge do you give Sir Sonic?"

"A ring." Sally took the other silver ring and took Sonic's gloveless hand this time.

"And this ring, do you give to him as a sign and seal of the endless affection with which you will cherish him, and the unbroken fidelity with which you will perform to him the vows of a wife? Do you?"

"I do."

"Princess Sally, as you place this ring on Sir Sonic's finger, please repeat after me, WITH THIS RING I THEE WED: AND WITH ALL MY WORLDLY GOODS, I THEE ENDOW . . ."

"With this ring I thee wed; and with all my worldly goods, I thee endow my kingdom and its people as well as claim to the throne."

"I now pronounce you man and wife! You may kiss the bride," Knuckles informed them. Sonic threw back sally's veil and passionately kissed her amid whoops and cheers from the crowd. When Sonic and Sally broke the kiss, Knuckles walked back around the Master Emerald and presented the Sword of Acorn to Sonic. "Take this and with it, the throne of the restored Acorn Kingdom. May our ancestors smile down upon you."

Sonic bowed respectfully and took the sheathed blade in his hands. He drew it and touched the blade to Knuckles' shoulders. "Rise, sir Steward and Guardian of Angel Island." Knuckles stood and Sonic re-sheathed the powerful artifact.

Sonic turned to the crowd and took Sally's arm with free one and descended to join the reception. As the group stepped down the stairs, Julie leaned in to the newly appointed Queen and whispered, "If this marriage doesn't work out, me and Knux are still available."

Sally gave the echidna a startled look unsure of whether it was a joke or not. Julie revealed nothing as she greeted Amy approaching with the ferret in her arms.

* * *  
Author's Note: Well, this IS the official ending of Promises. Hope you all had as much fun reading it as I had writing it! Please R&R and favorite this story if you liked it and be sure to follow my account if you'd like. Oh, and an OC makes a cameo here. Just so you know, I'm thinking that the brown ferret guy is me in the story: Garet the Ferret. Yeah, it rhymes. Anyways, I've assigned a couple songs to select chapters that I think fit the mood of that particular chapter.

Chapter 1: "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" by Taylor Swift

Chapter 2: "Do You Remember" by Jay Sean ft. Sean Paul and Lil Jon

Chapter 3: "Forever Young" by Jon Stewart

Chapter 4: "We Don't Get Along" by Go-Go's

Chapter 5: "Ace in the Hole" by George Strait

Chapter 6: "Poker Face" by Lady Gaga

Chapter 7: "Roll Up" by Whiz Kallifa (and overall theme)

Chapter 8: "Brokenhearted" by Karmin

Chapter 9: "Your Betrayal" by Bullet for my Valentine

Chapter 10: "Apologize" by OneRepublic and "All I Ever Wanted" by Basshunter

Epilogue: "Roll Up" by Whiz Kallifa (2nd time played at end)

Well, what do you think?


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